


The Mariner's Revenge

by lesbians_on_ice



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Pirate, Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Dark Victor Nikiforov, Eventual Sex, Everything diverges from there, Except instead of getting eaten by a whale it turns into a pirate au, Explicit Sexual Content, Graphic Rape/Non-Con, Loosely based off of the song "The Mariner's Revenge Song" by The Decemberists, M/M, Mentions of underage Rape/Non-con, Merchant Sailor Katsuki Yuuri, Pirate Viktor Nikiforov, Pirates, Slow Burn, Violence typical of a pirate au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-28
Updated: 2020-10-10
Packaged: 2021-03-07 19:33:47
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 11
Words: 46,477
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26693020
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lesbians_on_ice/pseuds/lesbians_on_ice
Summary: When Yuuri's father dies at a young age, his mother falls in love with a man by the name of Nikolai Nikiforov. When the man turns out to be a scoundrel and a pirate and murders Yuuri's remaining family, a newly orphaned Yuuri swears revenge. He spends years plotting to kill Nikolai, but when he finally finds Nikolai's ship, he finds it instead captained by his son, Viktor Nikiforov, and is captured. Viktor is Nikolai's successor and a pirate captain, but for some reason despite everything, he doesn't kill Yuuri.
Relationships: Katsuki Yuuri/Victor Nikiforov
Comments: 123
Kudos: 156





	1. The Orphan Swears Revenge

The tragedy happened when Yuuri was only six years old.

Yuuri grew up in a port town on the border of the Caribbean. His family had come all the way from Hasetsu, Japan, settling on the coast for a better life. It had been before Yuuri was born, when his mother was pregnant with his older sister, Mari. It had cost Hiroko and Toshiya every penny they had to board the merchant ship, and it took months and months of sailing around the tip of Africa and across the Atlantic sea to reach the Caribbean. From there, the Katsuki family had pulled themselves from the ground. Toshiya became a fisherman, and with his support, Hiroko was able to stay home and care for Mari and Yuuri, when he was born. They were a happy family, blessed by good fortune. However, that fortune did not last forever. When Yuuri was only a child of two, his father’s ship encountered a terrible storm. A hurricane, Yuuri heard, had sunk Toshiya’s ship, and not a single member of the crew survived.

Yuuri’s mother was distraught. She’d lost her husband, and that was only part of the problem. With Toshiya dead, she had to start working odd jobs, cleaning and doing laundry to support her two children. Mari was left to raise Yuuri, as they seldom saw their mother except in the early hours of the morning when she returned to do others’ laundry and get a few precious hours of sleep before going to work another job. Their family was hungry. Hiroko was barely able to feed them as well as keep their roof above their head. However, despite the poverty they lived in, the remaining Katsukis were happy. Their family was still together. They had each other.

That is, until _he_ came.

Nikolai Nikiforov was a charming man. Silver hair and blue eyes, a strong jaw, and a winning smile. He strode into town one day when Yuuri was only three. He’d been drinking in a bar where Hiroko had been working as a maid, and she was immediately smitten with him. He won her over easily, sweeping her into her own bedroom. Nikolai had a mysterious past, but somehow, he had money. He paid for their home and food, and for a while, Hiroko was able to stop working and be with her young children. Yuuri thought at first that maybe this strange foreign man who made his mother smile was a blessing. After all, he’d brought their family out of poverty, and Hiroko was able to have the life she deserved with her family.

Nikolai ended up being a curse.

It started one night when Nikolai came back drunk and shouting at Hiroko. She tried to calm him down, feebly asking for him to come to bed. Yuuri and Mari cowered in the corner, and they could only watch as Nikolai struck their mother across the face. She seemed shocked, clutching her cheek, and Nikolai stumbled to the bedroom and passed out. The next day, he apologized profusely, giving Hiroko flowers and a necklace. The foolish woman believed his apologies, and only a few nights later, it happened again. Nikolai barely missed Hiroko’s head with the bottle he threw at her, the alcohol staining their wall. The next day, he apologized again, bearing more gifts. This happened over and over again for years, and it only got worse each time until Hiroko was battered and bruised. It was okay, though, she assured her children. Nikolai loved her. He may have been a cruel man, but he promised to stay by her side.

That was only part of the travesties Nikolai committed, though. One day, when Yuuri was six, Hiroko got a letter and went pale as she read it. Nikolai had skipped town, and behind him, he left an impressive gambling debt. He claimed Hiroko as his wife and left the debt to her before disappearing altogether. Hiroko began working again, working herself down to the bone to try to pay the debt, but it was a hopelessly high sum. One day, the magistrate sent a letter of notice that the town would be reclaiming the Katsuki estate, and Yuuri’s mother lost her mind. She screamed and cried and cursed Nikolai’s name as she worried for how she’d feed and house her children.

If only that was the worst of it.

The night before the Katsukis were due to be removed from their family home, there was a great commotion outside. Yuuri blinked himself from slumber and looked out the window, shocked at what he saw. There was fire, people running in the streets with swords. He heard the scream: “ _Pirates!_ ” Yuuri ran to his mother’s room to find her and Mari huddled together in the closet. He hid with them, but it was no use. The pirates broke into their home and found them easily, gathering them into the living room. They told them the captain was on his way, and he had requested to see them personally. Yuuri and his family were confused until the captain stepped into the room in his heavy boots. Yuuri’s jaw dropped as the captain, dressed lavishly and yet unmistakenly like a pirate, was revealed to be none other than Nikolai.

Hiroko was shocked. “Nikolai!” she shouted. “You’re… You’re—!”

He chuckled at her. “A pirate? Yes, that is indeed the case.” Hiroko tried to lunge at him, screaming her curses on his name, but she was held back by Nikolai’s men. Nikolai smirked cruelly, and Yuuri had a bad feeling. Nikolai turned to his crewmate. “Have the girls taken to the bedroom. Keep the boy here. I’ll kill them all when I’m done.” Yuuri screamed and kicked as his mother and Mari were taken, flailing and shrieking, out of the room followed by Nikolai, who looked at Yuuri and flashed him one last smirk before disappearing.

That night haunted Yuuri forever. He was held down, forced to listen to his mother and Mari scream and cry through the walls. Yuuri thrashed in his captors’ holds, screaming himself until one of them got annoyed and smashed a bottle over his head. Yuuri fell into a black pit of unconsciousness.

When Yuuri awoke, it was morning, and the pirates were gone. His head hurt terribly, and there was a lot of shouting outside. Yuuri didn’t care about that, though. He ran to his mother’s bedroom, and what he saw was permanently imprinted in his mind. His mother and Mari, stripped naked, laid on the floor in pools of blood. Yuuri screamed, running to their sides and shaking them, begging them to wake up, but it was no use. They were dead.

Yuuri became an orphan that day. He was cast into the streets, the local government taking no pity upon him or his impoverished family. Hiroko and Mari were buried at sea with the rest of the corpses from the pirates’ attack, and Yuuri was left a starving urchin. From the day his mother and sister were murdered, though, he swore.

Someday, somehow, he would get revenge on Nikolai Nikiforov.

Yuuri did what little he could, running errands for the rich for just enough money to eat. He holed up in alleyways, hungry still, and begged strangers for help. It was months before a prior came across him and took pity on him, hiring him to clean his priory in exchange for food and a place to stay. It was a comfortable enough gig, but even in the employment of holy men, Yuuri never lost sight of his goal. He would have his revenge upon Nikolai if it was the last thing he did.

Fourteen years passed. Yuuri, aged twenty, was still cleaning the priory for a living. He never lost sight of his goal or forgot that fateful, horrific night. He would have Nikolai’s head, but how? He really didn’t have much of a way to find Nikolai. The sea was vast, and a ship of pirates could be anywhere.

One night, though, Yuuri heard the prior exchanging words with a mysterious man. Yuuri hid behind a column, not wanting to be seen, and listened. To his shock, the man’s voice was familiar, and Yuuri peaked out from behind the pillar to confirm his suspicions. Sure enough, it was none other than Nikolai, and Yuuri clenched his fists. He was paying off the prior for something, presumably silence. He gave the prior a bag of coins before turning heel and leaving the priory. Yuuri knew this was his chance, though. He rummaged through the kitchen, finding a knife before taking to the streets. It took a little searching, but he caught up with Nikolai by the docks. Before Yuuri could attack the man who’d killed his family, though, Nikolai walked down a dock and boarded a large ship that flew no colors. Yuuri realized this must have been the pirate ship itself and cursed. He had no chance against an entire crew of pirates, so he retreated, but not before taking a good, long look at the ship, memorizing it. He’d have his chance again someday.

It was three more years before Yuuri got his chance. In that time, he’d cleaned himself up and searched the wealthy for a benefactor. He managed to find one in the form of an older woman named Minako, who took an instant liking to Yuuri. She sponsored him, sending him to school to become a merchant sailor. Yuuri spent three years studying maps, ships, and trade, occasionally boarding ships at the side of his teachers. He was shown the ropes, learning how to navigate and crew a ship. Yuuri was a prodigy of sorts, picking up the skills quickly, and his teachers sung his praises to Minako, who was incredibly proud of him. She told him she would help him get his start as a merchant, and Yuuri accepted the offer.

However, he had ulterior motives. Yuuri never lost sight of his goal: vengeance. Each night, he searched the docks for that ship he’d memorized when he still worked for the priory.

It took three years. Yuuri studied hard until the night that he searched the docks and saw that familiar ship had made port. He spent the night awake and looked everywhere in town for Nikolai, searching the bars and the whore houses, but there was no sighting of him. The next morning, Yuuri returned to the docks and found the ship setting sail. He knew what he had to do. Using the money Minako had given him to jumpstart his career as a merchant, Yuuri hired a privateer to go after Nikolai’s ship. It took some convincing and lies about his purpose, but he got the tanned sailor, Celestino, to agree. The next morning, he was taken aboard the _Eros_ , and he looked into the horizon with fiery eyes as he set sail.

 _I will find you, Nikolai Nikiforov_.

Months and months passed. It proved to be difficult to track down the pirate ship, which bounced between ports unpredictably, raiding and pillaging ships and towns as it went. What little news Yuuri and Celestino got about the whereabouts of Nikolai’s ship, the _Stammi Vicino_ , were tidbits spoken by the survivors of Nikolai’s raids. There weren’t many survivors. Yuuri spent those months hunched over maps, charting out the pirates’ raids to try and find a pattern, but the effort seemed impossible. Celestino grew worried for Yuuri’s health, having grown fond of the boy, and suggested that they go home and forget this adventure. He even offered to give Yuuri half of his money back if he just gave up this fool’s errand, but Yuuri refused, offering Celestino even more money to continue. They spent over a year at sea, weathering storms and the perilous waters in search of the _Stammi Vicino_.

Finally, after 20 months at sea, the _Stammi Vicino_ was in their sights. Yuuri looked at the ship through a spyglass, confirming that he was seeing what he thought he was seeing, and then he commanded Celestino to attack. Celestino tried to talk him out of it. The other ship was bigger and most likely more heavily armed. On top of that, it was run by pirates, who had no code of ethics. Yuuri shoved the spyglass at Celestino and hissed the words again. “Command the crew to attack.”

Celestino sighed and shouted the orders to the crew, who looked equally unnerved by the command but carried it out anyway. Yuuri cleaned his muskets, ready to blow Nikolai’s head off, and the _Eros_ sailed to the side of the _Stammi Vicino_ and opened fire. The _Stammi Vicino_ stacked back, and to Yuuri’s horror, Celestino had been right; the other ship was much more heavily armed. It wasn’t much of a battle, and soon enough, the hooks were launched onto the _Eros_. Pirates boarded the ship, and although the _Eros_ ’s crew fought back, they were outnumbered, too. It didn’t take long for the pirates to round up Celestino’s crew as well as the captain himself and Yuuri. They were held on their knees, and Yuuri fumed as one of the crewmates announced that the captain would be coming shortly.

However, the man that stepped onto Celestino’s ship dressed up like a pirate captain was no Nikolai. He resembled him with the same silver hair and blue eyes, but his hair was much longer and his face much younger. Yuuri was confused. Where was Nikolai? The stranger scanned the faces of Yuuri and the crew, seeming unimpressed. “Now,” he spoke after a prolonged silence, eyes cold and piercing. “Just who is the captain of this pathetic excuse for a ship? The man must be mad to have attacked the _Stammi Vicino_ in this beat up vessel. Where is he? I want to see him for myself.”

“Aye,” said Celestino from beside Yuuri. “It is me. I’m the captain.”

The strange silver-haired man walked over to Celestino in slow, commanding steps. He drew his sword, and Yuuri shouted only to have his mouth covered by the pirate holding him. The stranger used the tip of his sword to tilt up Celestino’s chin, inspecting him. Once again, he seemed unimpressed. “You must have a death wish,” he said. “Luckily for you, I’m willing to grant it. Men, take this poor excuse for a captain aboard the _Stammi Vicino_. We’ll tie a cannon to his boots and throw him overboard.

Yuuri screamed again and bit the hand of the pirate holding him, making him recoil. With his mouth uncovered, Yuuri shouted, “ _No!_ Leave him alone! It was me! I’m to one who told him to attack the ship!”

Those blue eyes turned sharply to Yuuri. The man walked with those same heavy steps over to Yuuri, this time tilting his chin up with the blade, and Yuuri glared back fiercely. The man seemed contemplative. “What’s your name?” he demanded.

Yuuri snarled. “I’m Yuuri Katsuki. I have sailed 20 months to find the _Stammi Vicino_ in order to kill her captain, Nikolai Nikiforov.”

The man seemed surprised for a moment before his stunned expression twisted into a smug grin. “Well, Mr. Katsuki, you sailed all this way for nothing. Nikolai is already dead.” The man held his hands out to the side, sword and all, presenting himself. “I am his son, Viktor Nikiforov, the captain of the _Stammi Vicino_.”

The blood drained from Yuuri’s face. No… No, it couldn’t be true! Nikolai couldn’t be dead! Yuuri was supposed to be the one to kill him. Alas, though, there was no sign of Nikolai, and this Viktor man did indeed look like him. Yuuri realized with an icy feeling that it was true; Nikolai was dead, succeeded by his son.

That didn’t mean that Yuuri couldn’t exact his revenge, though.

Yuuri threw his head back suddenly, slamming his skull into the face of the pirate holding him. The pirate shouted and released him as he reached for his own bloody nose, and Yuuri unsheathed the crewmate’s sword before jumping to his feet. He pointed the blade at Viktor Nikiforov, staring him down with hatred. “Then I will kill you in his place,” Yuuri hissed.

The pirates jumped to attack Yuuri immediately, but Viktor held up a hand, stopping them. He regarded Yuuri with an unreadable expression before smirking. “Alright, then,” he said smugly. “A duel to the death.”

The duel began as Yuuri charged Viktor with his sword, but the silver-haired man easily deflected it. Yuuri had taken sword-fighting classes during his studies, but as he and Viktor’s blades began to clink and clash against one another, Yuuri quickly realized that he was outmatched. He may have taken classes, but this man clearly had a lifetime of swordfighting behind him. Yuuri ended up mostly parrying and deflecting, and he realized he had to do something. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a rope holding the lower boom of the main mast in place, as Yuuri realized he could send it flying toward Viktor if he cut it. Viktor saw him eyeing it, however, and when Yuuri made a run for it, Viktor advanced quickly and lunged, forcing Yuuri to turn around to deflect the blow. However, using Yuuri’s unprepared stance to his advantage, Viktor twisted his blade around Yuuri’s, twisting the sword from Yuuri’s hand and sending it clattering to the deck.

Yuuri stared in shock as the point of Viktor’s sword was once again at his throat. Yuuri’s sword was too far away to grab again, and he felt the blood streaming from the small cut at his throat. Yuuri realized quickly that he had lost. He dropped to his knees in defeat and glared up at Viktor once more. “Fine then,” he spat. “A duel to the death it was? Then kill me. Cut my throat now and get it over with.” If Yuuri was going to die to this man, he wanted it done quickly, and he wanted to stare into the pirate’s eyes in defiance until the end. He wouldn’t cower or beg for his life; no, he would go bravely, maintaining whatever dignity he had left.

Viktor didn’t kill him immediately, though. Instead, he regarded Yuuri with that same unreadable expression from earlier. Then, to Yuuri’s shock, he sheathed his sword and called to his men. “Take the boy to the ship. He has a fighting spirit, and I will honor that with a suitable death. Bring him aboard the _Stammi Vicino_. I will figure out what to do with him then.”

Yuuri shouted in defiance as he was grabbed underneath either arm and dragged, kicking and screaming, onto the other ship. He heard Celestino scream his name, but the crew of the _Eros_ was held at sword and gunpoint, unable to interfere. The pirates boarded their own ship once more and fired more cannonballs into the _Eros_ , and Yuuri was held by multiple men and forced to watch as the ship he’d called home for twenty months sank into the sea.

Yuuri was dragged below deck, but he didn’t go without a fight. He kicked and screamed and bit, using every last bit of his might to fight his captors until he was thrown into the brig and locked into an iron cell. Yuuri continued screaming, shaking the bars of his prison and demanding that he be let go. The pirates merely laughed at his shouts and curses, though, before disappearing above deck.

Yuuri fought and fought until a few of his nails bled from clawing at the cell bars. Finally, he resigned himself to his fate and sat with a huff in a puddle at the floor of the cell. He was at the very bottom of the ship, and water sloshed all around him from the damage the _Eros_ had done to the _Stammi Vicino_. Yuuri didn’t care about getting wet, though. The chances were, he’d meet Celestino original sentence and be tied to a cannon and tossed into the sea to drown. Yuuri wasn’t really all that afraid of his impending death, but he was furious. All of his life, he’d be dedicated to seeking revenge upon Nikolai Nikiforov, and after so many years of trying to track down the man and kill him, he found him already _dead!_ Worst of all, Yuuri couldn’t even land a scratch upon the man’s son, and now he was in the brig of his stupid ship, waiting to be executed. It was ironic and incredibly humiliating to Yuuri. All of this time seeking out Nikolai _wasted!_ At least, now, Yuuri would be put to death and be free of his stupid misery. Yuuri could find solace in that much.

However, when a few of the crew member came to gather Yuuri, they told him he was going straight to Viktor’s quarters to speak with him. Yuuri was perplexed. Why? Why did Viktor want to talk to him? Why didn’t the stupid pirate captain just man up and kill Yuuri already? Yuuri was getting irritated, and funnily enough, he was impatient to meet his own death. He’d rather just get the ordeal over with than continue wallowing in his own defeat.

Yuuri was shoved into a room so hard, he fell to his knees, and the door was slammed behind him. Yuuri cursed, pulling himself to his feet and brushing off his clothes as if it would do him any good. He looked up, and sure enough, Viktor Nikiforov was sitting in a rather lavish chair at a large desk, staring at him with that unreadable expression again. Yuuri glared, and the man laughed.

“Now, now, don’t be so sour,” Viktor laughed. “I’d think you’d be happy to have your death postponed, after all, Mr… What was your name again, boy?”

“Yuuri,” Yuuri spat. “Yuuri Katsuki.”

Viktor looked unfazed by Yuuri’s venom. “Well, Mr. Katsuki, I think you’ll be pleased to find that I’ve thought it over, and I’m prepared to strike a deal with you instead of killing you. How does that sound?”

Yuuri’s face wrenched up in confusion. “A deal?” He didn’t want to make any deals with a pirate!

Before Yuuri could voice just that, however, Viktor continued. “Yes, a deal. See, my father, Nikolai, was a mysterious man. I knew little about him. The crew raised me more than anyone else, and my father disappeared for long periods of time in various port towns as I was kept aboard the ship. You,” Viktor pointed to Yuuri with a quill, “seem to know why. Or, at least, you have some clues as to who my father was. You did say you came all the way out here to the middle of the ocean to kill him, and judging by the pure, unmatched hatred in your eyes, my father did something rather terrible to you. I’d like to know what. And, in exchange for this information, I will let you go free.”

Yuuri didn’t understand. Viktor wanted… information? That didn’t make sense. “Why?” Yuuri asked, suspicion dripping from his tone. “Why would the captain of a pirate ship be willing to strike such a bargain with a sailor who tried to kill him? That seems rather out of character for someone who had been so willing to sink the captain of the _Eros_ to the bottom of the ocean not too long ago. So, why? Why offer to spare me?”

Viktor looked contemplative for a second before smirking. “Simply to sate my curiosity,” he said shortly. “Although, information isn’t all I would be getting from you. We’re weeks away from the next port, and in that time, I expect you to act as a member of my crew. Serve under my command until we reach port, give me the information I desire, and I’ll set you free. Pretty sweet deal, is it not?”

Yuuri didn’t believe it for a second. “Sounds like a trap,” he said instead. “And how do I know that if I give you this information, you’ll actually set me free? How can I guarantee that you won’t just kill me anyway?”

Viktor grinned. “Put it on my honor as a pirate!” he laughed. “That is, you can’t. You can’t guarantee at all that I won’t kill you. However, if you don’t agree to my deal, I’ll definitely kill you, so you don’t really have a whole lot of other options now do you, Mr. Katsuki?”

Yuuri was prepared to shoot back that he’d rather just die with his dignity intact than get swindled by a pirate for information, but he paused and thought. Yes, maybe Viktor would just kill him, but what if he didn’t? What if he actually did put Yuuri into servitude? Yuuri didn’t believe for a second that he’d actually be set free, but in that time that he was serving under Viktor, he might just get a chance to kill Viktor when he wasn’t expecting it. This deal, Yuuri realized, could be the opportunity he’d been waiting for to get his revenge.

Yuuri pretended to mull it over some more, biting his lip. Viktor held out a hand to shake, looking smug, and Yuuri wanted to roll his eyes. Instead, he looked Viktor in the eye and shook it.


	2. Welcome Aboard

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri is called to dinner by the captain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't leave any notes on the first chapter, but welcome aboard the ship! The ship being Viktuuri, which will be something to develop given the circumstances of this fic. More about it in the end note~

Yuuri cursed and shouted as he was thrown back into his cell at the bottom of the ship. He whirled around, banging on the bars and screamed, “We had a deal, Nikiforov!” The men simply laughed and left him again. Yuuri, without many options, slumped to a sitting position once more with a ‘hmph!” He didn’t understand!

After Yuuri had shaken Viktor’s hand, Viktor had snapped his fingers, summoning his crewmen back inside. He ordered them to take Yuuri back to the brig, and here Yuuri was, confused. He felt backstabbed, but the funny thing was, he’d never even fulfilled his end of the bargain. He hadn’t told Viktor anything yet, so why had Viktor cast him back into the dark cell? Wasn’t Yuuri at least supposed to be interrogated first? Yuuri half expected Viktor to kill him after he told him what he wanted to know, but not before! Yuuri was once again annoyed. Viktor needed to either get what he wanted or kill Yuuri already. Prolonging the inevitable after waiting eighteen years to kill Nikolai only to find him already dead felt more torturous than anything.

Hours passed, and Yuuri eventually dozed off against the wall of the ship. He didn’t dream of much, just brief moments from his childhood when his family had been alive. However, Yuuri was rudely awoken by a bucket of cold water to the face. Yuuri sputtered awake, glaring ferociously at the pirates who laughed loudly at his discomfort. They settled down, though, and one of them, a sandy-haired man with green eyes, unlocked the cell and jerked his thumb behind him. “Come on, squirt. Captain wants you to dine with him.”

Yuuri was incredulous. “I beg your pardon?”

The man grinned. “No pardon necessary! Tonight, you will dine with Captain Nikiforov.” The man then reached behind him, picking a worn box up off the steps. “And he requests that you wear this.” The box was handed to Yuuri, and he peaked inside of it before slamming it shut, face going red with indignation, fury, and embarrassment.

“You can tell your captain to kindly _fuck off!_ I will not be dining with the likes of him, especially not in a _dress!_ ” Yuuri spat.

The other man, and pale brunette, chuckled. “Captain figured you might say that, so he ordered us to remind you that you have a deal, and if you intend on breaking your deal, he intends on breaking your bones.”

Yuuri glared between the two men, who stared at him smugly. He didn’t necessarily mind to die, but if he had a chance to carry out his plan… Yuuri snatched the box open, letting it clatter to the floor with a splash as he shook out the deep red dress inside of it. His lip curled. The outfit seemed fitting of a prostitute, and Yuuri turned around, stripping with clenched teeth as the men roared with laughter behind him. Damn them! He would make sure they regretted everything they did to him. Yuuri pulled on the dress, surprised to find it even fit him. Was it especially tailored for men or something? Viktor was a perverted freak. With that much done, Yuuri composed himself, not even looking at the two pirates as they took him by either arm and guided him upstairs. He heard the laughter that arose when Yuuri was brought past the crew’s quarters, but he ignored it with clenched teeth. He’d make them all regret it when he killed their pretty little captain.

Yuuri was unceremoniously shoved into the captain’s quarters once more, but this time he merely stumbled instead of falling. He shot a glare at the door, cursing those ruffians silently. He turned forward to find Viktor once again eyeing him. Yuuri felt scrutinized under that heavy stare, and he flushed in humiliation. Viktor caught the rosy color and barked a laugh.

“You look lovely, Mr. Katsuki. I knew that dress would suit you!” he said with a shit-eating grin. Yuuri glared at him furiously.

“You look like a perverted sicko who gets off on men in dresses. That’s what it is, is it not? Why else would you have a gown like this tailored to a man?” Yuuri smirked, tilting his head.

Viktor seemed unbothered by the accusation and gestured to the seat across from him on the other side of the desk. “Sit,” he commanded.

Yuuri crossed his arms. “I’d rather stand.”

Viktor’s grin remained wide, but his eyes turned dark. “Sit, or I’ll make sure you can never stand again.” Yuuri rolled his eyes and took a seat, arms still crossed. Viktor smiled and clapped. Men burst into the room carrying dishes of delicacies, meat and fruit and bread. Yuuri hadn’t realized how hungry he was until he smelled it, and he had to clench his stomach to keep it from rumbling too loudly. Viktor noticed, though, and Yuuri’s face grew hot at his knowing smirk. The dishes were spread out before them on the desk, and Viktor snapped his fingers. The men disappeared from where they’d come. “Now, Mr. Katuski,” Viktor commanded, sitting back as if enjoying the show, “eat.”

Yuuri immediately shook his head. “I’m not hungry,” he lied.

Viktor grabbed a knife from the desk and drove it into the wood, booming, “ _Eat!_ ” Yuuri jumped, instinctively doing as told and serving himself a cut of beef from one plate, quickly cutting a bit off with a knife and fork and putting it in his mouth. The meat was divine, but Yuuri cursed himself for giving in so easily and gave Viktor a dirty look. Viktor looked pleased, not even touching the food and instead watching Yuuri. “Good boy,” he praised condescendingly, and Yuuri felt sick. Not particularly feeling like causing another outburst, however, he continued to eat in silence. Viktor watched him, eyes tracing the features of Yuuri’s face slowly. Yuuri stared down at his food, not wanting to indulge the man. _Great, he really is a pervert,_ Yuuri thought. He’d shivered to think what that may mean for him. However, Viktor finally spoke again, but it was simply to say, “Enjoying the food? I had only the best prepared for us tonight. Don’t get used to it; we don’t have enough rations like these to go around, so get your fill now.” Yuuri wanted to argue, but he also considered to fact that he might spend the next weeks eating moldy bread and rotting apples. He kept dining.

When Yuuri finally got his fill, he politely laid down his fork and knife, dabbed his mouth with his napkin, and threw the cloth down on his plate. “There! _Satisfied?_ ” he spat.

Viktor looked pleased. “Very.” Yuuri had half a mind to strangle him now, but he eyed the gun Viktor had holstered at his hip and kept his mouth shut. He had to be patient. “Now, Mr. Katsuki,” Viktor spoke up again, “about the matter of our deal.” He snorted at the incredulous look on Yuuri’s face. “What? You think I gifted you such a fine dress and prepared you such delicious food without reason? No, this is about our deal, so if you’ve had your fill, I suggest you start talking.”

Yuuri furrowed his eyebrows. “About what, pray tell?”

Viktor had a dark look in his eyes. “My father. Tell me, how was it you knew him? And you should know that I’m an expert at detecting lies.”

Yuuri’s mouth turned sour at the thought of his past with Nikolai. He had never talked to anyone about it, not even Minako or Celestino, and he didn’t particularly feel like sharing the gruesome details now. However, he and Viktor had a deal, and if Yuuri wanted to reach his true goal, he had to play his part. Yuuri leaned back in his chair, giving Viktor a measured gaze. “When I was a child, my father died. He was a fisherman, a brave one. His ship was lost in a hurricane, and there were no survivors.” Yuuri paused. “My mother was left alone to care for me and my older sister. It was difficult, providing for two young children as a widow. She worked odd jobs, staying up to unreasonable hours working to keep our roof over our heads. Consequently, we often went hungry, as little money was left over for food. It was a difficult time, but we were happy. We missed my father dearly, but we still had each other. After that, we—“

Viktor suddenly yawned, interrupting Yuuri. He gave Yuuri a stern look. “You’d best hurry up with your story,” he warned in a sinister tone. “I’m growing bored of your tale, and you have yet to mention my father.”

Yuuri rolled his eyes and shot back, “I’m getting to it! _Anyway,_ ” he continued, “Our fate changed one night. A charming man came to town, a handsome fellow with silver hair and blue eyes. He went by the name Nikolai Nikiforov, and his background was mysterious to all who encountered him. Nobody knew where he’d come from or what he was doing in our port town. He was only known for his reputation in the whorehouse and for his gambling addiction. He was charming nonetheless, however, and my mother grew smitten with him. She brought him into our home, took him in.”

Viktor looked disgusted. “Are you saying you’re my stepbrother?” he grimaced.

Yuuri shook his head violently, disgusted himself. “ _Certainly not!_ That man was no more a father to me than you are. He never married my mother, anyway. He provided for us, though, and for a moment, we were happy again. We thought maybe good fortune had come to us again.” Yuuri’s expression dropped. “We were wrong.”

Yuuri went silent for a moment, and Viktor seemed on the edge of his seat with intrigue. “Go on,” he pushed.

Yuuri sighed. He didn’t want to talk about it, but he had no choice. “One night, Nikolai got drunk and hit my mother. He apologized with lavish gifts the next day, but then it happened again. And again. It got worse and worse until my mother was purple with bruises. Then, one day, he skipped town, leaving behind nothing but his gambling debts. My mother had to take up work again, working herself to the bone to try and pay the debt and keep a roof over our head, but it was no use. Our home was reclaimed by the local government, and we were to be thrown out on the streets, starving and wallowing in your father’s debt.” Yuuri stopped again.

This time, however, Viktor looked unimpressed. He crossed his arms over his chest and leveled Yuuri with a glare. “That’s it, then? You spent all these years chasing after my father because, what, he left his debts to you? Damn it all, I _wish_ that was the worst he had done to me!” Viktor laughed coldly.

That’s when Yuuri’s expression turned icy with hatred, and Viktor seemed taken aback. “I also wish that was the worst he had done to us,” Yuuri spat. “By all means, though, if my story is boring you, I will happily go back to my cell to rot! Forget the deal!” Yuuri stood to leave, but Viktor caught his arm.

“ _Sit,_ ” Viktor commanded in that heavy tone again. Yuuri raised an eyebrow and sat again, this time with smugness. “Continue,” Viktor ordered.

Yuuri smirked. “As you wish, _captain_ ,” he spat the last word sardonically before composing himself and continuing once more. “Now, where was I? Ah, yes—my family was set to be displaced from our home. We had nothing left except Nikolai’s debts, and my mother cursed the man who had destroyed our home. She hated him more than anything, but my hatred hadn’t budded. Not yet.” Yuuri took a deep breath. This was going to be the difficult part to tell. “You see, the night before we were due to be removed from our home, the town was attacked by pirates. I hid with my mother and sister, but we were found, told we would be facing the captain himself. Who do you think that was?” Yuuri’s lip curled. “My mother’s hatred overflowed, and she cursed his name. She spoke her hatred to his face, but he wasn’t fazed. Rather, he seemed amused, and that’s when he committed the crimes that led me to the _Stammi Vicino_ all these years later.” Yuuri’s voice dropped to a deep, icy tone. “He had my mother and sister taken to the bedroom. He personally… well, I can only assume what he did with them when I found their naked, dead bodies the next morning. That night was horrifying, listening to my family scream through the walls and struggling to break free until I was knocked unconscious. When I found their corpses, that’s when I swore my revenge.” Yuuri crossed his arms, leveling Viktor with an intense glare. “I was thrown in the streets, but I managed to pull myself up by the bootstraps. I studied to become a merchant, learned about the sea. I pretended it was for my career, but every waking moment, I thought of revenge. I searched the docks for that familiar ship, this ship, until one fateful night twenty months ago, it docked in my town once more. I set to sea with Celestino, the captain of the _Eros_ , determined to track down Nikolai and kill him.” Yuuri barked a bitter laugh. “Now, you can only imagine my disappointment after discovering he’d died before I could get to him!”

Viktor was quiet for several moments. He searched Yuuri’s face with a neutral expression. Then, he broke out in a wry smile. “Why, you must be devastated,” he purred. “All those years hunting down a man, and you couldn’t kill him! How ironic.”

“Yes,” Yuuri said slowly, eyes raking the table and landing on the knife he’d dined with. “It is quite ironic. However, I think you misunderstand _. I have not given up on my revenge.”_ Quickly, Yuuri snatched up the knife, lunging across the table at Viktor. To Yuuri’s shock, though, Viktor easily caught his arm by the wrist. Yuuri tried to force the knife through, arm shaking with effort, but his was overpowered. Viktor bent Yuuri’s wrist back with a cry from Yuuri, wrenching the knife out of his hand before pushing him back with enough force to send him falling to the floor with a _thud_. Yuuri looked up at Viktor, petrified, as the captain sauntered over to him, spinning the knife in his hand.

“Mr. Katsuki,” Viktor said in a low tone. “You really are quite impolite. I offer you such fine gifts, and you repay me with violence.” Viktor clicked his tongue chidingly. “You overstay your welcome.” Suddenly, Viktor delivered a sharp kick to Yuuri’s side, and the man curled up on his side, wheezing. “Let’s get something straight,” Viktor spat, pointing the knife at Yuuri. “I’m not Nikolai Nikiforov. He’s dead, and there’s nothing you can do about it. However,” Viktor gave Yuuri a dark stare, grabbing him by the hair and pulling his head up to spit in his face. “I think you’ll find that I can be equally as cruel as him if you vex me. It’s a pity what happened to you mother and sister, but make no mistake: that same fate can easily become yours.”

Yuuri stared up at Viktor in fear as he was unceremoniously dropped to the ground again. Viktor drove the knife into the desk before turning around and snapping his fingers. Those same two crewmates barged into the room again, taking Yuuri by either arm and dragging him away. Yuuri didn’t struggle this time, instead staring uncomprehendingly at Viktor’s back until the door shut between them.

To Yuuri’s surprise, he wasn’t thrown into the brig again. Yuuri was dragged to the crew’s quarters, and the sandy-haired man tossed Yuuri a shirt and trousers. “Here,” he said in a deep voice. “Put those on before the men get back down here. You don’t want them getting any ideas.” Yuuri hurriedly changed into the offered clothing. They were a bit too big on him, but it was better than wearing the dress, which now laid crumpled on the floor.

Yuuri averted his eyes from the two men. “Why am I up here?” he asked. “Aren’t you going to throw me back in that cell?”

The man with green eyes shook his head. “You forget, you have a deal with the captain. You are to work upon this ship as a crew member until we make port.” The man turned, pointing to hammock. “That one’s yours. Hope you like motion sickness.”

Yuuri was surprised. Viktor thus far was holding up his end of the bargain. Yuuri had really expected to be executed after he told his story to Viktor, but maybe the captain wanted to get some free labor out of him first. Yuuri nodded his head, keeping his eyes down. He was still shaken by Viktor’s threats. There was no worse fate to Yuuri than the fate that befell his mother and Mari, so to be threatened with it… Yuuri shivered. The sandy-haired man seemed to notice this, placing a hand on Yuuri’s shoulder. Yuuri jumped, but the hand was firm.

“Hey,” spoke the man. “Don’t be so easily disturbed by the captain. It’s true that he is a ruthless man, but he kills with purpose. You still have value to him, and as long as you can maintain that, you will escape this ship unscathed.” Yuuri regarded the man with a distrustful look. He simply grinned. “I’m Christophe, the first mate. You can just call me Chris, though.” Chris gestured to the other man. “This is Georgi. I know you have no reason to trust us, especially after our little prank earlier—“ Yuuri remembered the rude awakening with a frown, “—but you’ll find that we are some of the most… _understanding_ members of our crew. Don’t expect any special treatment, but if you have a problem, bring it to us before charging the captain with a knife, understood?”

Yuuri’s mouth was sour. “I want him dead,” he whispered bitterly.

Chris laughed. “So does the entire British royal navy as well as half the women who frequent Tortuga! You’re not special, kid. And I’ll remind you again: you’re safe as long as you remain of value to the captain. Lose that, and you’re done.” Chris punctuated the warning with a finger drawn across his throat. Yuuri gripped his neck, the cut from Viktor’s sword still stinging.

Yuuri’s first day aboard the ship as a crew member was hell.

It didn’t take long for Yuuri to realize that he was being treated as a slave. He was given the odd, disgusting, and terrible jobs, like swabbing the deck and dumping the communal bucket. Yuuri grimaced with each task, bearing the snickers of the crew behind him, but he did his work without complaint. He wasn’t going to be so easily deterred.

Despite their noble proclamations the previous night, Chris and Georgi were no help. Chris was probably the hardest on Yuuri of all, giving the orders to the crew including Yuuri. Yuuri was continuously thrust into foul and dangerous tasks, and the worst part of it all was that he never saw Viktor that day. The man was noticeably not present, and Yuuri wanted to swear. He was going to get nowhere with his plot to kill Viktor if he was stuck cleaning shit from buckets while the other man holed up in his quarters doing God knows what!

Yuuri was made to eat with the crew that night, and they regarded him with hungry stares. They looked at him like a piece of fresh meat to tear apart, but Yuuri ignored it, eating his small ration of bread and dried meat. Chris for whatever reason tried to strike up a conversation with him again, but Yuuri ignored him, too. He didn’t take kindly to being degraded and humiliated.

Days passed like that. Yuuri was given the most horrendous jobs, but he did them all, keeping a keen eye out for Viktor. On the third day, Yuuri briefly caught a glance of the silver ponytail walking by, but the man paid Yuuri no attention. Somehow, that fact deeply scathed Yuuri. How dare that pompous jackass subject him to this and then not even give him the time of day? Yuuri wanted him dead more and more by the second.

On the fifth night, another member of the crew decided to strike up a conversation with him. To Yuuri’s surprise, she was a woman. She had fiery red hair and deep blue eyes, blue like the ocean as opposed to Viktor’s own iciness. Yuuri had thought it was bad luck to bring women aboard ships, but apparently this band of pirates didn’t care as none of the other crew members batted an eye. In fact, there was another woman on board that Yuuri hadn’t noticed before, too. She was a lovely girl with raven black hair and violet eyes.

The redhead was the one to address Yuuri, though. “So,” she spoke in a tone Yuuri knew was nothing but trouble, “how have you been enjoying your time aboard the _Stammi Vicino?_ ” The rest of the crew laughed, and Yuuri flushed indignantly.

“Just fine,” he returned shortly. “Unlike the rest of you, I’m not so easily disturbed by dirty jobs.”

“I got a dirty job you can do!” a man shouted, and the crew roared in laughter again.

One member, a younger man with blond hair, didn’t seem amused by the joke, however. “You’re disgusting, JJ,” he said, lip curling distastefully. Yuuri was pleased by the man’s sense of propriety before he continued, “Why would you want to stick your dick in a _pig?_ ” The crew snickered some more, and Yuuri paused. Something about that irked him, the way the boy called him a ‘pig.’ It struck Yuuri with annoyance, and he glared at the blond. The younger man noticed and shot Yuuri a smirk. “What? Does the little piglet not like being taunted? Poor baby.” The crew roared with laughter.

Yuuri had enough of the humiliation. He lunged forward and punched the blond’s stupid smug face. The boy recoiled, clutching his cheek with a hiss. He glared at Yuuri with nothing short of fury. “Why, you little fucking—“ He lunged at Yuuri, but he was held back by Chris and Georgi.

Chris shot Yuuri a wink. “Now, now, Yuri, settle down. You don’t want to break the boy before the captain has his chance.” Yuuri was confused for a moment before he realized the other boy’s name was Yuri.

“To hell with Viktor!” Yuri spat, thrashing in Chris’s grip. “I say, we take this above deck and settle it like men!” The crew roared in excited assent, and Chris looked around, realizing he was outnumbered. He released Yuri and shrugged at Yuuri.

“Sorry kid,” he said. “Not much I can do.” Yuuri wanted to swear that Chris was the first mate and thus had the authority to put a stop to this, but he held his tongue. He was itching for a fight just as much as Yuri was, so when he was ushered above deck by the raucous crew, he cracked his knuckles in preparation. Yuri curled his lip, and the crew gathered round in a tight circle.

Yuuri was the one to throw the first punch, but Yuri was expecting it this time, grabbing him by the wrist and yanking. Yuuri was flung over the other man’s head and onto his back against the deck with a cheer from the crew. Yuuri was surprised by the smaller boy’s strength, but he didn’t let himself be distracted by it for long. Yuuri rolled over, using his momentum to kick Yuri’s legs out from under him. The boy looked shocked as he fell to the deck with a _thud,_ evoking more snickers from the crew who were apparently not loyal to either contestant. Yuri looked enraged then, lunging at Yuuri before he could react. The blond straddled Yuuri, laying several punches into him. Yuuri used his greater body mass to flip them over, punching Yuri right back. They alternated pummeling each other as the crew roared at the entertainment until—

“ _Hey!_ ” shouted a deep, furious voice. Everyone went silent. The crew parted like the Red Sea, revealing none other than Captain Viktor Nikiforov, looking furious. Yuuri and Yuri were paused mid-punch before scrambling to their feet away from each other. Viktor took several slow, heavy steps toward them, and Yuuri found himself shrinking from the man. Viktor’s expression was tight, his eyes livid as he looked between the two guilty men. He went to Yuri first, hissing in his face. “So, you think you can just break in my new toys for me, huh? You never did know your place, not since your parents abandoned you in the streets. You were impetuous then, and you’re impetuous now.” He grabbed the boy by the neck, but to Yuuri’s shock, Yuri looked more annoyed than scared. “You’ll do well to learn some respect, Yuri,’ Viktor spat before throwing him down to the ground.

Then, Viktor was approaching Yuuri, and Yuuri felt a cold sweat on the back of his neck. Viktor got in his face, sizing him up. “So, Mr. Katsuki,” he said, tone eerily light. “Five days of scrubbing shit and you’re already starting fights with my crew.” The crew began to laugh but were silenced by a harsh “ _Quiet!_ ” by Viktor. He turned back to Yuuri, eyes dark. “May I remind you of our deal? You are to work with my crew to bring us into port, _but_ that means that you must get along! May I remind you that your freedom as well as your life are at stake? You would do well to remember that,” Viktor finally backed off, and Yuuri’s shoulders slumped. Viktor gave him another scrutinizing glare before turning heel and walking away, but not without one final warning.

“Next time, it’s the whipping post for you both.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so a few notes about this AU: as it says in the tags, the premise is based off the song "The Mariner's Revenge Song" by The Decemberists. If you've listened to it, you know that the story has already diverged. I was trying to come up with something to write after finishing my Hunger Games fic, and that song came on and struck me with ideas. I wanted it to be a pirate AU, however, so here we are! This fic will likely be less than 10 chapters long, but I don't have it fully planned out yet, so don't get too attached to that length.
> 
> Also, I'm sure it's been noticed that I referenced Pirates of the Caribbean a few times. I watched the movies for inspiration. Get used to that.
> 
> Anyway, here we go! Another fic! Hopefully y'all enjoy, and please let me know what you think! Welcome aboard!


	3. Punishment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri is tormented by the crew of Viktor's ship. However, things take an unexpected turn.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here I am, coming atcha with another chappy! Note that I updated the tags, so you may wanna read through them. Otherwise, enjoy~

Yuuri barely slept that night. His mind was plagued by thoughts of Viktor. Viktor was a terrifying man, far more so than Yuuri had ever imagined. Yuuri’s thought raced back to the various threats he’d received and felt powerless. How was he supposed to kill a man like that? Yuuri’s heart was heavy. He didn’t want to be a victim of cowardice, but… No, Yuuri thought, no, he _wouldn’t_ be a victim of cowardice! He had to snap out of it and think! The problem was that Viktor seemed invincible, and it wasn’t because he had an entire crew protecting him. Viktor had never really used the crew when fighting Yuuri; he was just stronger than him. Yuuri had failed to lay a scratch on him, even with the element of surprise. Viktor always seemed to expect it and was one step ahead of him.

However, that couldn’t be entirely true. Viktor couldn’t always be at full defense. There had to be a time when his guard was let down, when he wasn’t able to watch for any of Yuuri’s tricks. Yuuri looked around at the snoring sailors and realized that was it! Sleep! Yuuri could take Viktor out while he was sleeping! Was that the bravest way to exact his revenge, though? No. Yuuri wanted to make Viktor suffer… but maybe Yuuri could still use sleep to his advantage. Maybe he could chain Viktor to his bed as he slumbered and then go from there, giving Viktor the pain he’d experienced all of these years for what Nikolai did.

Yuuri carefully stepped out of bed. He tiptoed through the crew’s quarters, flinching at every creak of the wooden boards. No one woke, however, and Yuuri was able to climb upstairs undisturbed. Somewhere along the way, he grabbed a lamp, making his way to the door of the captain’s quarters. Just outside, he set the lamp back down, not wanting to wake Viktor with the light. Yuuri reached for the handle, quietly twisted it, and—

It was locked.

Yuuri silently cursed. Of course it was locked! He was stupid to not have considered the possibility! Why would Viktor leave himself vulnerable to any potential mutiny? Yuuri, unfortunately, did not know how to pick locks. He felt the top of the doorframe for a key just in case, but he quickly gave up, grabbing his lamp and sneaking away.

Not wanting to go back to rocking sleeplessly in his hammock, Yuuri decided to go above deck. He’d bet the stars were beautiful at this hour, and he could use some fresh air. However, just below the entrance, Yuuri heard hushed voices coming from above him. He didn’t know why, but he quickly extinguished his lamp and listened. “He’s a pain in the ass,” whispered one voice. Yuuri didn’t recognize it, but he didn’t exactly know all the members of the crew.

“But he has a fine ass,” a second voice shot back, and the two laughed at the statement. Yuuri recognized the second voice as JJ, the one who had made the sexual comment toward him earlier in the evening. Yuuri realized they were talking about _him_.

“That doesn’t excuse him, though,” the first voice returned. “He got the captain all pissed at us by fighting with Yuri. He’s practically a stowaway! Useless.”

“Ah,” JJ retorted, “he’s useful for swabbing the deck! It’s been nice not having to do the dirty work.”

“He’s fun to torment,” the voice agreed, “but he’s just going to cause more problems for us. He isn’t a part of this crew. He doesn’t have any respect for any of us, and he could easily be scheming to get us all punished. After all, he tried to get Yuri whipped tonight.”

JJ seemed to think about this. “That’s true,” he finally replied. “I’d trust the kid as far as I’d throw the cannon I’d tie him to.” He paused again. “What should we do, Cao?”

“I’ll tell ya what we should do,” the unknown voice, apparently named ‘Cao,’ said. “I say we do away with our little pest before he can do away with us. And you know what we do with little pests.” The two chuckled darkly.

“Wait,” JJ interjected. “Won’t the captain have us killed when he finds out we got rid of his little toy?”

“ _If_ he finds out,” Cao retorted. “He’d never be able to tell it was us. Chances are, he’d punish the whole crew, but what’s a slap on the wrist compared to whatever the boy has planned for us?”

The two dropped their voices even lower, but Yuuri didn’t care to listen to the details of their scheme. The blood was drained from his face. Apparently, he’d made enemies aboard the _Stammi Vicino_ , and making enemies with pirates was not a good thing. Yuuri felt the cut on his throat again. He had to do something. He couldn’t very well just never sleep, though, and Yuuri could guess that’s when the men would attack. What could he do then? Tell someone. He had to tell someone, but who on the ship would believe him? He couldn’t—well, _wouldn’t_ —tell Viktor himself. Besides, he’d have to get the man’s attention to do that much, and with the exception of threatening him, Viktor seemed disinterested in Yuuri. Who else was there, though? Then Yuuri remembered. Chris. Chris was the first mate, and he had even specifically told Yuuri to come to him with any grievances before he went to the captain. Yuuri didn’t trust Chris, but what other option did he have? Yuuri snuck back downstairs.

Yuuri shook Chris awake, slapping a hand over his mouth as soon as those green eyes opened. Chris looked at him with tired, grumpy eyes before he noticed to panic in Yuuri’s expression and became intrigued. Yuuri removed his hand from Chris’s mouth. “Listen,” Yuuri whispered, “I’m in trouble. I just heard two men above deck plotting to dispose of me.”

Chris frowned. “That’s a very serious accusation. Are you sure you’re not telling a lie, Yuuri?”

Yuuri wanted to pull his own hair out. “Do I _look_ _like_ I’m telling a lie? They’re going to kill me!”

Chris sat up, yawning. He seemed annoyingly relaxed, but his face was serious. “Did you see their faces?” Chris asked.

Yuuri shook his head ‘no.’ “But I heard their names. JJ and Cao.”

“Jean-Jacques and Cao Bin?” Chris asked incredulously. “They’re plotting to kill you?”

Yuuri all but cried, “ _Yes!_ ”

Chris looked contemplative before looking up at Yuuri with an assuring smile. “Don’t worry,” Chris promised. “I’ll make sure to wipe the idea from their minds.”

Yuuri managed to finally fall asleep, but he only got a couple of hours in before he was awoken again to start the day. Despite receiving relatively easy jobs that day, he trudged through his tasks like he was working in molasses, but to Yuuri’s relief, JJ and Cao Bin left him alone. He wasn’t sabotaged or harassed that day, at least not by them specifically. Yuuri didn’t know what Chris had said to them, but it evidently worked the charm. The day came to a close, and Yuuri retired early. He was exhausted and needed to catch up on sleep. He curled up in his hammock, and for the first time since he’d be forcefully placed among the crew, and fell asleep immediately.

Yuuri didn’t sleep for long, though.

Yuuri was awoken by a rag in his mouth. His eyes shot wide, but his head was covered by a sack. He was dragged out of his hammock, and he tried to scream through the gag. When he did, though, a blunt force hit him in the side of the head, and he went silent.

Yuuri didn’t know where he was being taken except upstairs, but when he felt the cool breeze of the sea, he realized he was above deck. Yuuri kicked and thrashed in terror, expecting to be thrown overboard, but his arms were wrenched behind his back and tied with rope. He was thrown down, and the breath was knocked out of him. As he struggled to catch his breath, though, his legs were pinned down, and finally, the sack was removed from his head. Yuuri looked up in terror at the faces of JJ and an eastern man Yuuri could only assume was Cao Bin. What were they doing? Hadn’t Chris been able to scare them off?

JJ laughed at the fear in Yuuri’s eyes. “Well, look what we have here, Cao! A pretty little tattletale!” JJ raised a fist and punched Yuuri across the face.

Cao Bin snickered, grabbing Yuuri by the chin and forcing him to look at him. “Yeah, we know what you said to Chris” he snarled. Yuuri stiffened. What had Chris said to them? “Because of you, we were forced to do your work today.”

“I still have shit under my fingernails!” JJ snapped. Yuuri could smell it.

“So,” said Cao Bin, “congratulations! You saved your own skin. If we got rid of you now, it would be way too obvious. Chris would tell Viktor, and we’d be in a rough spot. So we can’t kill you.”

Yuuri was relieved by that much, but the terror returned to him full force when JJ grinned. “But that doesn’t mean we can’t rough you up a little.”

Cao Bin pulled out a knife, and Yuuri realized with horror what was going to happen. His shirt was cut open, and the blade was pressed to Yuuri’s flesh. “I’m going to carve ‘Tattletale’ into your skin so you never forget what you are,” snarled Cao Bin.

Just as the first excruciating slice was made into Yuuri’s flesh, however, JJ suddenly caught Cao Bin’s hand. “Wait,” he said in response to the two sets of confused stares. JJ smirked something wicked, though. “I have a better idea. This boy is far too pretty to disfigure. At least…” Those dark eyes raked down Yuuri’s flesh. “Not before having a little fun.”

Yuuri realized what that mean and began screaming and thrashing again, but Cao Bin punched the side of his skull once more, and Yuuri became disoriented. He feebly tried to move his legs, but JJ sat on them. Yuuri couldn’t move. Yuuri couldn’t scream. A tear slipped down Yuuri’s cheek. No one was coming to help. JJ laughed when he saw the tear, though. “Aw, the little lady is crying!” he said to Cao Bin. “You really do look like a lady,” he continued to Yuuri. “Just look at you! Wide hips, a pretty face. Hell, you looked completely natural in that dress Viktor put you in!” he snickered. “And look at you now.” Yuuri flinched as JJ pinched his nipples, twisting. “You look like a girl here, too. I just have to see for myself if you look like a girl downstairs as well!”

Yuuri attempted to kick as JJ began pulling down his pants. Fortunately, JJ had to move his weight off of him to get the trousers down, and Yuuri used the opportunity to kick JJ’s crotch hard. JJ shouted in pain, and Cao Bin held Yuuri down as JJ held his painful place. He glared hard at Yuuri, grabbing the man by the throat. “Why, you little—“ he hissed.

“And just what,” a deep voice interrupted, “is going on here?”

It was almost comedic the way JJ and Cao Bin froze. They turned around slowly, and Yuuri blinked his teary eyes to made sense of the blurry shape. Yuuri recognized that voice, though, and tried to say, “Viktor?” It came out more like grunts, though.

“C-Captain Nikiforov!” JJ squeaked. “I— We were just—“

“Clearly,” Viktor snarled. “You two seem to have no respect for me, your captain.”

Cao Bin exclaimed, “ _What?_ ”

Viktor chuckled darkly. “What did I say about breaking things that are _mine?_ You two clearly did not heed my warning. If I were you, I would take your hands off the boy while you still have them.” JJ and Cao Bin scurried away from Yuuri so fast, he barely caught them running away below deck. “Now,” Viktor continued, stepping toward Yuuri with an unamused stare, “just what trouble have you been getting into, Mr. Katsuki?” Yuuri could only stare uncomprehendingly at Viktor, and the captain sighed. “Come along,” he said. “I’ll make sure those ruffians don’t think to touch what’s _mine_ again.”

Yuuri was confused. His? Since when had Yuuri been his? What did that even mean? Did Viktor think of Yuuri as a personal plaything? Yuuri didn’t know. All he knew was that in an instant, his trousers were back where they were supposed to be, and he was being carried into the captain’s quarters. Viktor used a knife to cut the ropes that bound Yuuri, and Yuuri quickly yanked the gag from his mouth. “You—!” he began to shout, but Viktor gave him a challenging stare, as if he was daring him to say more. Yuuri shut his mouth, and Viktor smirked.

“Smart boy. Apparently not smart enough to avoid becoming the target of pirates, though.” Viktor rested his chin in the palm of his hand, looking intrigued. “Tell me, just what did you do to piss off those idiots so much?”

Yuuri glared at Viktor. How could the other man be so composed after what had almost happened to Yuuri? Yuuri spat the words, “Nothing. Absolutely nothing!” he snapped. “I was just minding my own business when I heard them plotting to kill me, so I told Chris since he told me to tell him if anything happened. Next thing I know, I’ve got a knife in my chest and a hand down my pants!” Yuuri shuddered at the memory of the whole ordeal. “Your first mate should be better at controlling your crew!”

Viktor, of all things, smirked. “You’re funny if you think anyone but I can control those scoundrels. That was your first mistake, going to Chris instead of me. What,” Viktor tilted his head with a small smile and amused eyes, “did you think I wouldn’t help you?” Yuuri opened his mouth to speak before shutting it again. Yes, that had been exactly what he’d thought. Viktor laughed. “You misjudge my character! Until I get what I want from you, you’re still of value to me.” Yuuri furrowed his brow. Hadn’t Viktor already gotten what he wanted from Yuuri? However, before Yuuri could voice the thought, Viktor continued. “Rest assured, it won’t happen again. I’ll make sure of that tomorrow. For tonight, though, get comfortable. You will be sleeping here.” Yuuri tensed up. Surely Viktor didn’t intend to— Viktor just laughed at the look on Yuuri’s face, though. “Don’t be so prudish,” he said. “I won’t touch you. You will simply be bearing the warmth of another man beside you for a night. If that bothers you, feel free to go back to the crew’s quarters! I won’t stop you.” Yuuri frowned but didn’t move, and Viktor looked pleased. “That’s what I thought. Now, if you don’t intend to stay up all night, lie down.” Yuuri huffed, but he did as he was instructed, getting under the covers and turning away from where Viktor would be sleeping beside him. Yuuri didn’t think he’d be doing much sleeping tonight, anyway. Viktor settled down behind Yuuri, and while the captain was too close for Yuuri’s comfort, he didn’t touch him. That’s when Yuuri realized that this was his chance! Once Viktor dozed off, Yuuri could—

However, Yuuri’s thought was cut off by Viktor once more. “Oh, Mr. Katsuki, you’re as readable as a map. You really think that I’m vulnerable in my sleep.” Viktor laughed. “I’ll have you know I’m a light sleeper. Very light, in fact.” Yuuri felt goosebumps crawl up his spine as those eyes were surely turned on him. “You really think I don’t know why you were awake that night you heard JJ and Cao Bin plotting your death? I heard the footsteps and the doorknob turn. Now, I wonder who may have been trying to sneak into my cabin in the middle of the night?” Yuuri’s stomach turned to ice. Viktor chuckled. “You’re not as sneaky as you think you are, Mr. Katsuki. I know you intend to kill me. In fact,” Viktor’s breath was suddenly close to Yuuri’s ear, “I dare you to try. Tomorrow, you’ll see what I do to disobedient traitors. I suggest you pay close attention. You may have value to me now, but you won’t forever. It’s up to you what I do after my interest in you wears off.” With that, Viktor went silent and turned away from Yuuri.

Yuuri’s fists were clenched, and he stared at the wall of the cabin with wide eyes. Viktor was truly a terrifying man.

When Yuuri awoke the next day, Viktor was gone. Yuuri sat up and looked around to find daylight streaming through the windows. His stomach dropped. Why had he been allowed to sleep so long? He was supposed to be working! Yuuri scrambled to his feet, and despite the exposing nature of his torn shirt, he left the captain’s quarters and ran upstairs.

He did not expect what he found there.

The crew was gathered around the main mast, roaring in laughter. Yuuri’s brow furrowed, but he couldn’t see through the crowd. He had an idea, though, and scrambled to the higher deck where the helm was. What he saw was shocking, to say the least. In the center of a wide circle of crewmates, JJ and Cao Bin were running in circles around the main mast with their hands tied behind their backs, completely naked. The crew stabbed at them with swords and knifes, and the two men already were red with bloody wounds. Yuuri wondered why they didn’t just run closer to the mast, but then he saw what crowded around the mast itself: candles. That’s when Yuuri noticed how shiny JJ and Cao Bin were in the sun and paled. They were covered in oil, presumably very flammable oil from the lamps. They had two choices as they ran in circles: either be stabbed by the crew or get too close to the candles and be burned alive.

Yuuri watched the display with a dropped jaw, and suddenly there was a voice whispering in his ear. “Does this please you?” Yuuri whirled around to find Viktor standing right behind him with a dark smirk on his face. “You must be pleased. After all, those are your attackers being tortured down there. How does it feel, knowing that I’ve condemned them for you?”

Yuuri felt sick to his stomach. “You’re a cruel, sadistic bastard,” he spat at Viktor.

Suddenly, Viktor grabbed Yuuri by the biceps and turned him around, whispering in his ear from behind. “Look, Mr. Katsuki. Take a good, long look. This is what happens to those who no longer hold any value to me. This is what happens when those people vex me. This is what happens when others _play with my things_.” Just then, Cao Bin recoiled from a sword to the side, getting too close to the candles. Yuuri watched with horror as the man went up in flames, screaming horrifically. Viktor grabbed Yuuri by the jaw, forcing him to watch. “This,” Viktor whispered, “could be _you_.”

Yuuri wrenched his arm from Viktor’s grasp and whirled around, striking the other man across the face before making a run for it. He sprinted below deck and went downstairs, past the captain’s cabin and the crew’s quarters. Yuuri went all the way down to the brig and hid in the cell, curling up in a ball. He expected Viktor to run after him, but no one ever came down those stairs. Hours passed, and Yuuri stared blankly at the ground.

What kind of man was Viktor?

Yuuri was left alone for the remainder of the day. Night fell, and he eventually grew hungry enough to timidly climb up the stairs again, joining the crew for dinner. JJ’s and Cao Bin’s faces were noticeably missing among the crewmates. Yuuri felt sick.   
“So,” purred a voice beside Yuuri. Yuuri turned to find Chris grinning at him. “You told the captain after all, did you?”

Yuuri looked around to find that not a single member of the crew dared to meet his eyes. He felt ostracized. He turned back to Chris. “No,” he spat. “I never went to Viktor. Viktor found _me_ as I was being…” Yuuri looked down. “JJ and Cao Bin tried to get their revenge, and Viktor walked in on it. That’s all.”

Chris hummed, studying Yuuri’s face. “And you’re not happy about that, are you?”

Yuuri snapped his head toward Chris, but the man just stared at him with half-lidded eyes. Yuuri’s stomach twisted. “I never—! I didn’t _ask_ for what happened to them! Are you asking if I’m happy if Viktor saved me? _Yes!_ Nobody wants to be violated! But if you’re asking if I feel some sort of sick satisfaction for what Viktor did to them—“

“I never said any such thing,” Chris replied in a low tone. “I simply asked if you’re happy with the consequences of you actions. Or, if not your actions, your presence aboard this ship.”

Yuuri looked down at the ground again. “I…” He dropped his head into his hands. “I don’t know. No, I suppose.” Yuuri felt sick. “There was only one man I’d ever wish something like _that_ upon, and he’s dead.”

Chris hummed again. “Ah, but his son isn’t, is he?” Yuuri looked at Chris again to find a knowing smile on the other man’s face. “I’m not stupid. Nobody here is. You intend such a fate upon our captain. Viktor knows it, too, and yet somehow, you’re still alive and in one piece. Isn’t that curious?”

Yuuri’s brow furrowed. What was Chris trying to say? That Yuuri was _lucky_ somehow that Viktor hadn’t already killed him? “I’m not stupid either,” Yuuri shot back. “I know my ‘good luck’ won’t last. You can’t trust a promise from a pirate; I’ll never make it off this ship alive.”

Chris tilted his head, that knowing smile back on his lips. “I think you’ll be surprised, Yuuri.”

After that, the crew didn’t taunt Yuuri anymore. No longer was he stuck exclusively with the worst jobs the ship had to offer. Yuuri felt no peace, though—being tormented wasn’t fun, but neither was the way every crew member except Chris averted their eyes in Yuuri’s presence. Yuuri felt it, the fear of him. The crew was terrified to bother Yuuri again lest they be subjected to the same torture as Cao Bin and JJ. Despite the peace Yuuri was left in, though, he didn’t feel it. He felt instead a horrible dread. The way the crew regarded Yuuri demonstrated as clear as day that they thought the fates of their crewmates was _his_ fault rather than Viktor’s. As time wore on, too, Yuuri started to feel the same way. Cao Bin and JJ had died like that because of Yuuri. The sick bastards had deserved to be punished, but not like _that_ , and if it wasn’t for Yuuri, they never would have been subjected to it. Yuuri was a curse upon the ship, an omen of death, and he felt like it.

Strangely enough, though, there was one person besides Chris who paid Yuuri an unnerving amount of attention: Viktor. Yuuri noticed it silently at first, the way Viktor would linger by the helm and watch Yuuri as he completed his tasks for the day. Yuuri made eye contact with him once, and Viktor didn’t even pretend to look elsewhere. Yuuri quickly averted his eyes. He didn’t understand it. Why did Viktor suddenly take such and interest in him? Before, the man had been distant and callous, and while he still remained the former, his disposition had seemed to change the night he found Yuuri being attacked. Viktor said nothing, but he felt the amusement and intrigue in Viktor’s stare. One night, as Yuuri walked below deck, Viktor passed him going the opposite way, and for a brief moment, Viktor placed his hand upon Yuuri’s shoulder but otherwise paid him no attention and continued on his way.

That night, Yuuri scrubbed his shoulder with seawater as if it could erase the burning psychological imprint of Viktor’s hand upon his skin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahaha... Yeah, Viktor's a sadistic bastard in this. I actually took that particular punishment from a real life method of torture a pirate I can't remember the name of used on his victims. 
> 
> I have a rough draft of Chapter 4, but it needs tweaking. I dislike the ending of it, so I intend to rewrite some parts before posting.
> 
> Anyway, wow! The reception of this fic has been amazing! Thank you all so much! ;A; Please continue to let me know what you think, and stay tuned!


	4. A Life for a Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A storm approaches. Yuuri makes some impulsive calls.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I've written through chapter 5 and changed the tags again. Things just kinda just get darker and darker the more I write lol

Things didn’t get much better for Yuuri. Days passed, and the crew remained cold and aloof to him. Not that being tormented by them was much better, but he certainly had felt less ostracized. Chris strangely warmed up to him, though, and while he maintained his sense of authority as first mate, he was weirdly… comfortable with Yuuri. He talked to him over dinner and checked on him occasionally to make sure there hadn’t been further incidents. Yuuri had nothing to tell him; the crew made a point to leave him alone these days.

One day, though, when Yuuri was above deck, he felt it in the air. The wind was warm and wet, and while it was still sunny for now, Yuuri knew that a storm was coming. He went to Chris to warn him, but the man already knew. “I’ve spent years at sea,” he told Yuuri, “and I can tell you that this is going to be a violent storm.”

Violent the storm was. It began as dark, coiling clouds encroaching in until the sun was no more. Then, buckets of rain began to fall. The wind grew stronger, and soon the waves crashed into the ship so harshly, it rocked from side to side as it was battered. Yuuri joined the crew in fighting off the storm. He helped man the lines, pulling the sails down so the wind didn’t topple the ship or rip them. Chris shouted his orders. Yuuri joined the crew in throwing water overboard with buckets. It seemed useless, but the ship remained afloat as the numbers of men with buckets kept the deck from becoming submerged. Days and days ago, Yuuri had assisted the crewmates in repairing the holes the _Eros_ had shot into the ship. He was glad for that now.

Suddenly, the voice barking orders changed. Yuuri looked up to find Viktor at the helm, commanding the crew. Yuuri had never seen him look so focused, brow furrowed in concentration as he decided what to do. He steered the boat into the waves at an angle so that they no longer jostled the ship so much. It was still a rough ride, though, and Yuuri’s stomach twisted with seasickness. He leaned over the side of the ship and emptied his stomach.

However, as Yuuri was leaning, the ship suddenly rocked, and Yuuri was flung overboard. He just barely managed to catch the railing and shouted. “ _Help!_ ” he screamed, trying to pull himself up. The wood was slippery, though, and Yuuri was slipping down. “ _Help!_ Please!” he screamed again, and just as he was about to lose his grip altogether, a hand caught him by the wrist. Yuuri was pulled up back onto the ship, and he looked up to find his savior to be Viktor himself. Yuuri didn’t really have time to dissect that, though, as the wheel of the helm spun out of control, and the ship turned parallel to the waves. The water crashed into the side of the ship, and the boat rocked violently. He heard screams as a few men fell overboard, and Yuuri immediately pushed himself away from Viktor and ran for the helm. He gripped the wheel, trying with all of his might to turn the ship back the way it had been before, but it pulled against him with force. Suddenly, there were hands on his and a body behind him. Viktor’s voice shouted right behind him, “ _Pull!”_ Together, they pulled the wheel to the left, returning the ship to its most stable course.

Yuuri didn’t relax, though. “The crew!” he gasped, wrenching himself away from Viktor again and running downstairs to the main deck once more. He looked over the railing, and surely enough, several men were floundering in the waves, screaming for help. “Man overboard!” Yuuri yelled. He turned around and looked for the first face he recognized. “Yuri!” he shouted over the crashing waves as he spotted the blond man with a bucket. The younger man looked startled. “I’m going in after the crew,” Yuuri yelled. “I need your help pulling me up!”

“ _What?_ ” shouted Yuri incredulously, but Yuuri didn’t have time to explain himself. Yuuri grabbed a spare rope, tying it around the railing and then around his own waist. Without hesitating a moment more, he jumped off the side of the ship and dove into the water.

The current was strong, tossing Yuuri every which way. The waves crashed into him, and he sputtered for air. However, he saw a man splashing desperately nearby and swam with all his might. Just as the man was about to sink, Yuuri grabbed ahold of him before yelling back up at the ship as loudly as he could, “Pull me up!” Yuri didn’t seem to understand for a moment, but then realization flashed across his features. He grabbed the rope Yuuri had tied to the ship and pulled. He shouted something behind him, and a few other men joined him, pulling Yuuri and the man out of the water. Yuuri dropped the body onto the deck before running back to the railing.

“ _Wait!”_ somebody yelled as Yuuri dove back into the sea. He repeated the process two more times, and the entire crew joined in on pulling him out of the water with the drowning crewmates.

Finally, there was only one person left in the water than Yuuri could see, and Yuuri recognized the drowning man. “Georgi!” Chris yelled beside Yuuri, and Yuuri wasted no time leaping back into the water. The sea grew more violent, throwing Yuuri side to side as he tried to swim for the floundering man. Suddenly, though, something struck Yuuri on the side of the head. He didn’t see what it was, some piece of cargo, but it hit him hard, and Yuuri’s body went weak, sinking below the surface.

Yuuri barely registered the shape swimming toward him before everything went black.

Yuuri coughed and sputtered, water spilling from his lungs. His eyes snapped wide as he woke, rain still pouring around him. He sat up, looking around wildly, but before he could get a grip on anything, he was promptly struck across the face.

“You _idiot!_ ” Viktor screamed in a tone Yuuri had never heard from the man before. Yuuri stared up at the captain in shock. “What were you thinking? You could have been _killed!”_

“But he saved my life!” another raspy voice interjected. Yuuri turned to find a tanned man with black hair was the one speaking. Another man nodded beside him.

“Mine, too!”

The crew broke into an uproar, some praising Yuuri, other calling him a madman, but there seemed to be consensus that Yuuri did not deserve to be punished for his actions. Viktor was taken aback and scowled. He stood, and Yuuri realized that the man had been hovering over him on the ground. “Take him below deck!” Viktor ordered. “The storm is weakening. We’ll make it out of it now, so take him below deck and get him out of those soaking wet clothes!” With that, Viktor turned heel and marched back to the helm. Yuuri stared after him, but he was soon hustled by the crew below deck and taken to the crew’s quarters. He was barely able to protest as his clothes were torn off, but he quickly had a towel wrapped around him. The crewmates were in uproar.

“You’re a crazy son of a bitch!”

“You almost drowned!”

“You saved my life!”

The men and two women all shouted different things at Yuuri, and he couldn’t keep up with all the commotion. Instead, he thought back to the look on Viktor’s face after he’d slapped Yuuri. It was hard to decipher, but Yuuri almost thought he’d spotted concern in Viktor’s eyes. That didn’t make sense. Why would Viktor be worried about Yuuri when he just planned on killing him anyway? Was it because he wanted to be the one who did it himself? Yuuri didn’t know, but whatever the reasoning was, it struck him as odd. Viktor was impossible to read.

Yuuri was starting to feel babied.

After the storm, the crew checked up on him constantly, bringing him his rations and a change of clothes. Yuuri felt uncomfortable under all of the attention, and he asked if he could be alone for a little while. The crew seemed taken aback but granted his request, returning above deck to sail back to safer waters. Yuuri sighed and changed into the shirt and trousers he was provided. As he was pulling the pants on, however, a voice chirped behind him, “Hey!”

Yuuri jumped and whirled around. It was a man with tanned skin and brown eyes, and Yuuri recognized him as one of the souls he’d pulled from the water. “Ah,” Yuuri spoke reservedly, “Hello.”

“What you did out there was pretty brave,” the man said, taking a seat on Yuuri’s hammock without invitation. Yuuri opened his mouth to protest, but the man continued. “My name’s Phichit! I figured you should know it considering, you know, you saved my life and all.” This Phichit man seemed rather calm about the fact that he’d almost died not too long ago. Yuuri was taken aback by his familiar attitude, too. Didn’t the crew hate Yuuri?

Phichit squinted at Yuuri with a knowing smile. “You scared the captain, you know. That man fears almost nothing, and you managed to scare him.”

Yuuri furrowed his brow. What was Phichit suddenly on about? What did the captain have to do with anything? Yuuri opened his mouth to speak, but he only managed the words, “That’s not true.”

Phichit laughed. “Oh, don’t play dumb! You’ve surely noticed by now that the captain gives you special attention. Care to explain why?”

Yuuri wanted to deny it, but he remembered the way Viktor always watched him and frowned. It was true. “I don’t know,” Yuuri responded.

Phichit seemed intrigued. “Curious. And here I thought the captain only wanted information out of you! Weird that he’s kept you around this long after getting what he wants, ain’t it?”

Yuuri narrowed his eyes. “What are you saying?”

“Me?” Phichit feigned innocence. “I’m not saying anything! I’m just curious is all. The captain is usually a withdrawn, disinterested man, but ever since you showed up, things have gotten interesting.” Phichit chuckled. “I’m sure you know we were all scared of you for a while. After what happened to Cao Bin and JJ, it seemed a little too coincidental that such a thing would be ordered the morning after you spent the night in the captain’s quarters. I suppose we all figured you seduced Viktor into having them killed.”

Yuuri realized with a furious blush what Phichit was saying. “I did _not_ sleep with him!” he shrieked.

Phichit looked surprised. “Oh? You didn’t? Then why did you…?”

Yuuri sighed. “Look, Cao Bin and JJ tried to do… something to me. Viktor caught them and then brought me to his room. We slept together, but we didn’t _sleep together_. That’s it.”

Phichit looked like his interest was piqued. “Strange. Viktor never takes anyone back to his own room, not even to have his way with them. He always does it when he’s in town, but he never brings anyone back. At least, not anyone he intends on keeping alive.”

Yuuri curled his lip. “Well, he doesn’t intend on keeping me alive, now does he?” he spat.

Phichit was silent after that.

Days passed, and things seemed to flip on their head. The crew ceased to be cold and distant towards Yuuri. In fact, they seemed to accept him as a member of the crew itself, and it made Yuuri intensely uncomfortable just how _familiar_ everyone was being with him after the storm. He learned some of their names. Mila and Sara were the two women aboard the ship. Michele was Sara’s brother, and he remained hostile enough toward Yuuri to warn him against becoming familiar with Sara. Emil was a friend of Michele’s, and then there was Phichit, a bit of a jester amongst the crew. There was of course Georgi and Yuri, the latter of who still regarded Yuuri coldly, but not with the fear he previously had. In fact, the only person Yuri was not hostile toward was a broad man named Otabek. A few more names came to Yuuri’s mind, Leo and Seung-gil and Guang Hong, but Yuuri had trouble attaching them to faces. A bunch of the names didn’t even stick in his brain. It felt like a whirlwind, the way Yuuri started to be treated like a friend by the men and women alike, and Yuuri was remarkably uncomfortable with it all. While it was certainly nice not being feared anymore, he didn’t like the way someone was always talking to him. He hardly got a moment alone!

Speaking of alone, there was one man aboard the ship that did not interact with Yuuri anymore. Viktor had grown aloof again after the storm, and the behavior intensely confused Yuuri. At the time, Yuuri had been too pumped full of adrenaline to put the pieces together, but Viktor had saved Yuuri’s life, hadn’t he? Twice, one time being when Yuuri fell overboard and the other being when Yuuri almost drowned. Viktor had been the one leaning over him when he’d woken up, so he’d likely given Yuuri CPR. But why? Why was Viktor so keen on keeping Yuuri alive to the extent that he’d bring him back from the dead? It didn’t make sense, and Yuuri was having a hard time putting the various mismatching pieces that made up Viktor Nikiforov together. How could a man go from threatening Yuuri to saving him from his attackers and sleeping beside him to saving his life to being cold toward him again? Viktor’s behavior was incredibly perplexing, especially after what Phichit had said in the crew’s quarters. Why had Viktor not just killed him indeed? Then, Yuuri remembered something Viktor himself had said: Yuuri was still of value to him. But how? In what way was Yuuri still valuable? He’d already given up what information about Nikolai he had. Was it because Yuuri was working hard as a crewmate? Yuuri realized with a sinking feeling that Viktor might not intend on killing him at all; he might want to keep Yuuri aboard as a cheap source of labor forever. If that was the case, Yuuri had two options: either sneak off the ship as soon as land was in sight or hurry up and kill Viktor.

For some reason, the latter option was growing less and less appealing. Yuuri tried to pick that feeling apart. Why? Why was Yuuri starting to feel reluctant to end Viktor’s life? Viktor had again and again proven to be a heartless man, so why would Yuuri have any problem exacting his revenge for his family upon him? Was it because he was scared of Viktor? Yes, that was certainly part of it. After what he’d done to JJ and Cao Bin, anyone would be afraid of him. However, there was more to it, and Yuuri realized that maybe it was the fact that Viktor had saved his life. Despite Yuuri’s bloodthirst for Nikolai, he still had a conscience. He had wanted to kill the old captain because of what he’d done to Yuuri’s family, and even though Viktor was his son, he hadn’t been the one to commit those crimes, had he? No, he was simply a reminder of the man that Yuuri hated, and so he wanted to kill him as justice: Nikolai’s family for his. However, no matter how Yuuri looked at it, Viktor had saved him multiple times. He’d kept Yuuri alive and unharmed to the best of his ability, and Yuuri felt he owed him… something for that. Whether or not that was his life, Yuuri had yet to decide.

A week passed after the storm, and Yuuri stopped seeing even glances of Viktor. It was like the man had disappeared altogether, and Yuuri took orders exclusively from Chris. He worked hard, no longer given preferential treatment in a good or bad way; he did his fair shares of both the easy and difficult tasks. He’d built a sense of comradery with the crew, and the more he got to know them, the harder it was to put their likenesses together with the monsters who’d tormented him and tortured JJ and Cao Bin to death. Sometimes, Yuuri had to remind himself that they were in fact pirates, and while he was in their good graces now, that could change at any moment.

It was that night as Yuuri dined among the crew that Chris walked downstairs, jerking a thumb over his shoulder. “Yuuri,” he said, expression sour. “The captain wants to see you.” The other crewmates whispered among themselves, and Yuuri’s brow furrowed. He slowly stood and made his way upstairs. He carefully tiptoed to the captain’s cabin, staring at the door for several moments.

“It’s unlocked,” came a voice from inside, and Yuuri cautiously opened the door. Viktor sat at his desk, walking a divider across a map almost aimlessly. “Shut the door,” the man ordered, and Yuuri obeyed, closing it behind him. “And lock it.” Yuuri hesitated before acquiescing to this request as well. “Now, take a seat,” Viktor said, not even looking up as he gestured to the chair on the other side of his desk. Yuuri approached it with small steps, but Viktor said nothing until Yuuri sat down. “I’m sure you’re wondering why you’re here,” Viktor began.

Yuuri wondered indeed. “Yes, I would like to know that much,” he replied.

Viktor glanced up at him. “Are you sure that’s all you’d like to know?”

Yuuri went silent. It was like Viktor had read his mind. Yuuri had a million questions, all concerning Viktor. Why had Viktor saved him? Why was Viktor sparing his life? Why, with those two facts in mind, was Viktor being so cold toward him? It didn’t make sense, and Yuuri wanted answers. He thought about it, but he ended up saying, “Tell me why I’m here first. I already told you about your father. What more do you want?”

Viktor was silent for several moments before murmuring, “Why, oh why indeed?” He put his divider down and leaned over the table, looking at Yuuri intensely. He said nothing for a while and then changed the subject. “It seems the crew has warmed up to you. I’m glad; dealing with a crew constantly at each other’s throats is a pain. That JJ used to fight with Yuri all the time, and Cao Bin wasn’t the most amicable, either. Really, you’ve done me a favor in giving me a reason to get rid of them.” Viktor smirked.

Yuuri flushed with rage and stood suddenly, slamming his hands on the desk. “I did _not_ ask you to do that to them! What you did was barbaric and inhumane! I never would have asked for that! I—“

“Ah, but if it was me, it wouldn’t have struck you as barbaric?” Viktor interjected.

Yuuri looked at him in confusion. “What?”

Viktor curled his lip in a bitter grin. “Don’t play dumb. You’ve been very well-behaved for someone who doesn’t want to be here.” Viktor stood then, walking around the side of the desk. “You think I don’t know? You think I don’t know why you haven’t just flung yourself into the sea? Why you tried to break into my cabin that night?” Viktor stopped right behind Yuuri, whispering in his ear. “You want me dead. You want me dead because of what my father did, and you haven’t given up on that. So, let me rephrase myself: cruel and unusual murder is only okay when it’s for vengeance, right? So it follows then that you’d be okay with my punishment for JJ and Cao Bin if it had been me in their place.”

Yuuri stared down at the desk. He could feel Viktor’s breath on the back of his neck. Was what Viktor said true? Would Yuuri have considered it a fair punishment then? Something in his gut twisted at the thought, and his heart felt heavy. Yuuri couldn’t fight the nagging feeling that he was doing something wrong. No, it didn’t feel right, the idea of subjecting Viktor to such a torturous death. However, wasn’t that kind of death exactly what Yuuri had intended for Nikolai? All of those years, Yuuri had imagined it. He’d imagined flaying Nikolai alive, stabbing him with fire-hot swords. He’s imagined cutting the man’s stomach, tying the end of his intestines to a horse, and sending it running. Yuuri had read up on medieval methods of torture, and he had pictured himself inflicting every one upon the man that did those things to his mother and sister. At the time, it had felt right. It had felt like justice was to be served.

Now, however, Yuuri wasn’t so sure. Nikolai was dead, and Viktor was by no means an innocent man, but he hadn’t ever had anything to do with what happened to the Katsukis. He wasn’t the target of Yuuri’s rage and hatred, and yet at the same time, he _was_. Yuuri felt a tingle in his fingertips, and urge to wrap them around the man’s throat, and yet the thought of flaying or stabbing or disemboweling the man before Yuuri now made him feel sick. This entire time, Yuuri had been so determined to kill Nikolai, he’d never once considered anything else that went with it. Was it okay to condemn an innocent man for his father’s crimes? Was Viktor an innocent man? Yuuri didn’t know.

Yuuri stayed silent, and Viktor huffed as if he had his answer. “How impressive of you, Mr. Katuski,” Viktor said, tone dripping with sarcasm. “Willing to do anything to achieve your goal. You’re a committed man. Ambitious. Some might even say those are admirable qualities.”

Regardless of Yuuri’s undecided intentions toward Viktor, he was growing annoyed by the captain’s taunting. “If that’s all you brought me here to say, I’ll be on my way now.” Yuuri tried to march past Viktor, but the man caught his shoulder and pushed him back into his chair. Yuuri sat and glared up at Viktor.

“Who said that was my purpose?” said Viktor with a wry smile. He slowly paced back around the desk and took his own seat. “No, Mr. Katsuki, I brought you here for two reasons: one, to reprimand you for your impulsive actions on the night of the storm. You were rash, foolish—“ Yuuri opened his mouth to argue that he saved Viktor’s men’s lives, but Viktor held up a hand to silence him. “—and you were incredibly brave. Thanks to you, our crew made it out of that storm in one piece. As I said, it seems that the crew has warmed up to you now. Even Yuri hasn’t been complaining about your presence anymore. You’ve done well.” Viktor’s eyes darkened. “ _Never do it again_. You could have died.”

Yuuri fixed Viktor with a steady gaze. “And why do you care if I die?”

Viktor gave Yuuri an unreadable look. “And the second reason I brought you here,” he said, “is to inform you that we will make land in a week’s time. However,” Viktor smirked. “I wouldn’t run off once we get there. It’s no port town we’re approaching.” Viktor kicked back, resting his feet on the desk with charming grin. “We’re making port at Tortuga.”

Yuuri’s brow furrowed. “Tortuga?” he asked. “Isn’t that—?”

“An island?” Viktor finished. “Aye, indeed it is. And not just any island. Think of it as…” Viktor seemed to think about it with a smirk. “A pirate sanctuary. If I were you, Mr. Katsuki,” Viktor put his feet down, leaning over the table again. “I wouldn’t step two feet out of our sight when we get there. Understand?” Yuuri frowned but nodded his head. Viktor seemed pleased. “Good.”

“Am I dismissed now?” Yuuri hissed.

Viktor hummed, tapping his chin as if considering it. “Hm… No,” Viktor finally said with a grin.

Yuuri glared at him. “And why not?”

“Because you still have questions, don’t you, Mr. Katsuki?” Viktor tilted his head with the same shit-eating grin still on his face.

“They can wait,” Yuuri bit out before standing to leave. Once again, Viktor lunged across the table to catch him by the wrist.

“Wait,” ordered Viktor, smiled dropping.

Yuuri turned on him again, wrenching his wrist out of Viktor’s hand. “What? What could you possibly want?” he snapped. “You have your information! You have my labor! What more could you possibly—“

“You look at me like I’m a map of some foreign land. You try to read me, but your spectacles don’t work. I know you’re curious as to my intentions, Mr. Katsuki. Why don’t you press me about them?”

Yuuri threw his hands up. “And what would you tell? So far, every question I’ve asked has been met with a threat or you changing the subject. What use is there in asking you anything more?” Yuuri leaned closer to Viktor, hissing in his face. “If you’re so keen on my asking questions, then answer this: _why am I alive?_ You got your information. You could have killed me days and days ago, and yet, you’ve let me live. In fact, you’ve _saved_ me, and I know it’s not because you’re upholding your end of our deal. So _why?_ ”

Viktor stared down at Yuuri with that same godforsaken expression that Yuuri could never decipher. Then, he smirked. “Oh, Mr. Katsuki,” he suddenly grazed a hand across the scabbed cut on Yuuri’s throat. “You ask the wrong questions. Why did I save you? Maybe it was to make up for the manpower I lost executing two of my sailors because of _you_. Or maybe,” Viktor leaned in close with lidded eyes, hand moving to tilt Yuuri’s chin upward. “Maybe I just don’t like it when someone other than me breaks my things.”

Yuuri’s face twisted, and he turned heel and stormed out of the cabin, only stopping to fumble with the lock and hearing Viktor’s raucous laughter behind him. Yuuri’s stomach felt icy as he returned to the crew’s quarters, but his chest was on fire. Apparently these contradicting feelings showed on his face as not even Phichit dared to question Yuuri as he stomped to his hammock. Yuuri laid down and buried his face in his hands. He was fuming, and he wanted to scream. Who did that bastard think he was?

Yuuri’s morality be damned. He wanted Viktor _dead_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I use Tortuga because it was used in Pirates of the Caribbean? Yeah. But it was a real place where real pirates congregated, so sue me!
> 
> Anyway, Viktor is a confusing man. He just gets more confusing in the next chapter. Stay tuned.
> 
> Thanks so much for your continued support! Please let me know what you think :-)


	5. Dignity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Viktor starts paying Yuuri more attention again, but it's for worse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Read the tags again and prepare yourselves :'-)

Viktor stopped ignoring Yuuri after that, and by God, Yuuri wished Viktor would go back to ignoring him.

I started as little accidents. A rope Yuuri had just knotted would come untied while his back was turned. The first time it happened, Yuuri thought nothing of it. The third, Yuuri whirled around to blame Phichit and his shenanigans, but the tanned troublemaker was on the other side of the ship. Conveniently close by, though, was Viktor, who leaned against the mast with his arms crossed. He wore a stupid, shit-eating grin.

“Mr. Katsuki, I did not realize you were so poor with knots,” he commented. Yuuri flushed red and opened his mouth to snap something back, but the rest of the crew was watching the altercation with interest. Yuuri clenched his teeth, tied the knot again, and moved to a different part of the ship.

The next day, Yuuri was swabbing the deck. He kneeled with a brush in his hand, scrubbing at the wood. Suddenly, two boots came into his field of view, tracking dirt and grime in dark footprints across the wood Yuuri had already cleaned. Yuuri grit his teeth and snapped his gaze upward. Sure enough, Viktor stood there in his filthy boots looking smug. “Do you mind?” Yuuri snapped shortly.

Viktor’s grin widened. “Do I mind? Not at all. Carry on.”

Yuuri growled under his breath and moved on to another section of the deck. As he was scrubbing, however, Viktor stomped over in those filthy boots, standing just before him again. Yuuri glared up at him, spitting, “ _What?”_

This time, Viktor looked chiding. He clicked his tongue disapprovingly, pointing to his muddy footprints over by where Yuuri had been before. “You’re doing a lousy job with your duties. You call this deck clean? I’ve seen cleaner decks aboard abandoned vessels.”

Yuuri threw his brush on the deck, sitting up to shout, “ _They’re your bloody footprints!_ ”

However, Viktor didn’t feign innocence as Yuuri expected. Instead, his mouth morphed into a smirk. “Well, then, Mr. Katsuki,” he said, and Yuuri had a sinking feeling. “If my dirty boots are causing you such inconvenience, why don’t you clean them for me?”

Yuuri stiffened. _What?_ “What?” he mouthed the thought in disbelief.

Viktor looked like the cat who’d caught the canary. “You heard me. If your _captain’s_ boots are so dirty they’re preventing you from doing your job effectively, then you should do the respectful thing and clean them. Now, get to it. I don’t have all day.” Viktor held his foot out, plopping his muddy boot on the deck before Yuuri.

Yuuri flushed in indignation. “Why, you son of a—“ he started to hiss, but then he looked around. The crew was all staring at them, some more overtly than others. Many of them chuckled amongst themselves, and Yuuri felt an embarrassed blush creep to his cheeks. However, Yuuri also noticed that Chris was watching the two as well, a stern expression on his face as he fixed Yuuri with a look. Yuuri’s stomach coiled at the expression; he’d seen it given to crewmates before Chris sentenced them to their punishments. Yuuri didn’t particularly feel like getting flogged for disrespecting the captain, and he clenched his fists. “Do you have a rag?” Yuuri bit out.

Viktor looked all too pleased with himself. “No, I do not. Do you not wear rags on your body at this moment, though?” Yuuri realized what Viktor was saying and glanced toward Chris one last time with a pleading look. Chris offered no help, simply raising an eyebrow at Yuuri. Yuuri internally cursed. He swiftly unbuttoned his shirt, pulling the cloth from his back. While it was true that the garment was little more than rags at this point, Yuuri felt sorely humiliated as his crewmates snickered at him from around the ship. Yuuri kept his eyes down as he dunked the shirt in the water he’d been using to swab the deck and placed it onto Viktor’s boot. He just wanted to get this over with, so he quickly pulled it back and forth, scrubbing the mud and grime from the leather. How had Viktor even managed to get his boots so dirty aboard a goddamn _ship?_ Yuuri didn’t know, but as soon as the leather was clean of muck, Yuuri threw his now soiled shirt into the bucket of water. Viktor clicked his tongue chidingly again, switching his weight to present Yuuri with his other boot. “You’ve only done half a job, Mr. Katsuki. Surely you don’t intend to leave your work unfinished?”

Yuuri grit his teeth and wrung out his shirt again. This time, though, he glared up at Viktor as he cleaned and shined the other man’s boot. Viktor stared into Yuuri’s eyes with a deeply satisfied gaze as Yuuri wiped away the mud. Yuuri didn’t break eye contact until he was done, throwing his shirt into the bucket of water once more. “There!” he snapped. “You happy?”

Viktor simply grinned. “Delighted.” He turned heel and walked back the way from whence he’d come. He paused one last time, though, turning back to look at Yuuri. “Do be sure to clean up this mess, Mr. Katsuki,” Viktor ordered in a low voice. “I want this deck shining by midnight.”

Yuuri had to skip supper that night to swab the deck, having had to start from scratch after Viktor had tracked mud all over it. He finished the job an hour before midnight and deciding to skip supper altogether, he went straight downstairs to the crew’s quarters. On the way, though, he brushed past Viktor, who shot him a wink. Yuuri clenched his teeth so hard, he thought they must have cracked.

He very much hated that man.

If only it stopped there, though! One day, when Yuuri was in charge of preparing supper, Viktor came sauntering into the kitchen and took a seat at the stool by the counter. Yuuri was busy chopping less than fresh vegetables, and he ignored Viktor at first. Viktor hummed, watching Yuuri before speaking, “You seem focused. You cook a lot back home?”

Yuuri said nothing, eyes glued to the cutting board and knife. Viktor chuckled.

“You know, a relationship between a captain and his crew should be one built on trust. A little bit of fear, too, but mostly trust. You aren’t being very open to me, Mr. Katsuki.”

Yuuri slammed the knife down on the counter and glared at Viktor. “What do you want?” he hissed.

Viktor feigned innocence. “Me? Why, I just wanted to know what was for dinner.”

“Fish with steamed vegetables and rice. There, now you know. You can leave now.” Yuuri went back to chopping the vegetables.

Viktor pouted. “Now, now, is that anyway to treat your captain? Why the hostility? Didn’t I just say our relationship should be a trusting one?”

Yuuri rolled his eyes. “If you came to humiliate me further, you’re wasting your breath. Nobody’s here to watch me shine your boots with the shirt off my back.”

“Indeed, they aren’t,” Viktor said. Suddenly, he was behind Yuuri, and Yuuri tensed. When had Viktor gotten up and walked around the counter? However, Viktor didn’t touch Yuuri, merely watching over his shoulder as Yuuri sliced a carrot. “You’ve cooked before,” Viktor said again, humming to himself. “Who taught you? Was it your mother?”

Yuuri shouted as he sliced his finger with the knife. He cradled the bleeding digit to his chest, but Viktor suddenly spun him around by the shoulders. The other man pried Yuuri’s hand away from him and inspected the wound. “Now, Mr. Katsuki,” he chided, grabbing a nearby roll of bandages and beginning to wrap Yuuri’s finger. “You simply must be more careful. Your carelessness is affecting your performance these days, you know.”

Yuuri wrenched his hand back from Viktor, but his finger was already bandaged. He fixed the captain with a glare. “Now, _captain_ ,” he bit back sardonically. “You simply must be more careful. Your carelessness is making me think you hold favoritism toward certain members of your crew.”

Viktor smirked, leaning in close. “Is that illegal?”

Yuuri sniffed. “It’s certainly not suggested.”

Viktor laughed, backing off from Yuuri and sauntering back around the counter. “Aye, but when has a pirate ever cared about what is suggested, or even illegal for that matter?” He flashed another wink at Yuuri. “Take care, Mr. Katsuki.” With that, Viktor left the kitchen. Yuuri grit his teeth and returned to chopping the vegetables.

“I don’t understand,” Yuuri sighed, swinging in his hammock. “What does he want with me?”

Phichit tilted his head. “Who?”

“The captain, of course!” Yuuri huffed, covering his face with his hands. “He’s been tormenting me, interrupting my duties, and humiliating me! I wish the bastard would just kill me already!”

Phichit laughed. “Now, now, Yuuri, is a little light teasing so bad?” he replied.

“ _Light teasing?_ He made me strip my shirt to clean his boots in front of everyone!”

“Fine, then _harsh_ teasing, but teasing nonetheless,” Phichit said. “I will say, watching the look on his face as you cleaned his boots was interesting,” the man snickered.

Yuuri’s brow furrowed. “What do you mean?”

Phichit grinned something terrible. “Didn’t you notice? He looked so smug, you’d think he was getting off on it!”

Yuuri flushed a vibrant red. “ _What?_ ”

“Although, I guess I might feel the same way if I had such a pretty man on his knees—“

“Shut _up_ , Phichit!”

Phichit burst into a fit of giggles as Yuuri fumed, but their moment of relative peace didn’t last long. Footsteps came trudging down the stairs, and the two men turned to find Chris walking toward them. The man looked tired. “Yuuri, the captain has extended a formal invitation to dine with him tonight.” Even Chris’s tone sounded exhausted.

Yuuri crossed his arms. “I’m not going,” he vehemently declared.

Chris rolled his eyes. “Oh for fuck’s sake, Yuuri, just _go!_ I’m tired of that idiot making me threaten you for him. It’s either you dine with him, or he gives you five lashes. Your choice!”

Yuuri had enough, though—he was tired of Viktor throwing around his power to taunt him. Yuuri set his jaw. “Then give me the five lashes.”

Chris looked taken aback. “Yuuri, what are you—?”

“I said, _give me the five lashes!_ I’d rather be whipped than suffer another meal with the likes of _him_.” Yuuri’s tone was icier than ever.

Chris looked at a loss for words, but he eventually sighed. “As you wish,” he grumbled before heading back upstairs. It wasn’t long until Yuuri was summoned to the deck. The crew followed in nervous silence, and soon, Yuuri was standing before the main mast surrounded by his crewmates. They looked amongst each other uneasily. A familiar set of heavy footsteps echoed up the stairs, and Viktor parted the crowd with his presence. Yuuri had never seen such a tight expression on the captain’s face.

“You have chosen five lashes as opposed to a meal with me,” Viktor said coldly. “Am I correct?”

Yuuri fixed the man with an unwavering stare. “You are.”

Viktor searched Yuuri’s eyes before his own narrowed. “Then make this easy for me and take off your shirt,” he snapped. Yuuri did as told and took his time unbuttoning his shirt, allowing it to fall to the ground. He crossed his arms over himself, not willing to give Viktor the satisfaction of seeing his bare flesh. Then, Yuuri turned around, holding his hands to the mast. “Tie him,” Viktor ordered, and the crew hesitated. “I said, _tie him!_ ” barked Viktor. Georgi and Leo scrambled to either side of Yuuri, quickly fastening his hands to the mast with coarse rope. “Bring me the whip,” Viktor demanded icily. Yuuri didn’t see what the instrument of torture looked like, merely bracing himself. “Ten lashes.”

Yuuri startled, looking behind him in a panic. “Wait, _ten_ —?” Before Yuuri could protest further, there was a searing pain on his back, and Yuuri shouted.

“Count!” Viktor ordered in a shout. “Count, or I’ll make it fifteen.”

Yuuri glared behind him at the cruel captain before hissing, “One.”

The punishment was excruciating. Yuuri yelled in pain, tears streaming down his face reflexively as each lash cut deep into his flesh. He felt the blood running down his back, but he refused to back down, counting out loud as Viktor whipped him again and again. Finally, they reached ten, and Viktor ordered for Yuuri to be untied. Yuuri slumped to the deck, panting in pain. He yelped, though, as he was grabbed by the hair and brought face to face with Viktor. “I hope,” the captain hissed, “that this was an ample lesson. You are not to disobey me again. Do you understand, _Mr. Katsuki?_ ” Before Yuuri could retort, he was dropped to the deck again with a _thud_. Viktor stomped away from the crumpled man, glancing one last time over his shoulder. “Join me in my cabin in a half hour. You will dine with me whether you like it or not.” With that, the captain disappeared below deck.

As soon as he was gone, the crew rushed to Yuuri’s aid. Someone yelled for a medic, and Yuuri’s memory was a haze as his back was slathered in some gooey substance and bandaged. Chris and Phichit kneeled in front of Yuuri, frowns etched across their features. “What were you thinking, Yuuri?” Phichit snapped. “Deliberately disobeying the captain? You’re lucky you didn’t get _worse!_ ” Yuuri shuddered to think what ‘worse’ was, his back aching terribly.

Chris shook his head. “You’re a fool, Yuuri,” he said in a low tone. “If I were you, I’d change clothes and prepare yourself. Your dinner with the captain is bound to be unpleasant.

Yuuri shivered.

Yuuri was timid as he knocked on the door to the captain’s cabin. “It’s unlocked,” the familiar voice said shortly, and Yuuri entered. Viktor fixed Yuuri with an intense stare. “Close the door and lock it,” he commanded. Yuuri did as told and approached the desk to sit down. To Yuuri’s surprise, two dishes were already set before him and Viktor. Rather than the lavish meal of their last dinner together, instead the dishes contained fish with vegetable and rice. Yuuri realized it was the food he’d made the previous evening.

“Eat,” Viktor ordered. Yuuri ate. The two ate their dinners in silence, but Yuuri was unnerved. He felt those cold blue eyes watching his every move. He didn’t dare meet them, the scars on his back aching terribly as a reminder. He’d had enough punishment for one night. All was quiet as Yuuri finished his food and then sat there, eyes still fixed on the desk. Viktor broke the silence after a long while of staring at Yuuri. “Why do you make me do it?” Viktor hissed.

Yuuri didn’t look up. “Make you do what?” he said meekly.

“Make me do _that._ Everything, interfering with your work, whipping you,” Viktor named off the offenses.

Yuuri felt heat creep to his face and finally looked up, fixing Viktor with a glare. “I never made you do anything!” he snapped. Viktor was quiet again before standing abruptly and stomping around the desk. Yuuri leapt to his feet and backed away, saying, “Wait—“ but it was no use. With one sharp tug, Viktor ripped Yuuri’s shirt open and spun him around, sharply tugging the ruined garment from Yuuri’s body. Yuuri hissed as his wounds were jostled, but it only got worse from there. Pulling out a knife, Viktor cut the bandages, sending them falling to a heap on the floor. Yuuri opened his mouth to protest before letting out a shout as Viktor roughly grazed his hand down Yuuri’s back. Yuuri whirled around, snapping, “What are you _doing?_ Isn’t torturing me enough?”

Viktor was unreadable. He stared at Yuuri with a strange expression. After several moments of silence, she spoke the words, “Do you hate me, Mr. Katsuki?” Yuuri was taken aback. What was with a question like _that_ out of nowhere? Viktor seemed keen on an answer though, stepping closer, and Yuuri stepped back and back until his hit a wall with another cry. “I asked you a question,” Viktor said in a low tone. “I asked, _do you hate me, Yuuri?_ ”

Yuuri was startled by the use of his first name. Viktor had always called him ‘Mr. Katsuki’ or derogatory names. He never addressed Yuuri by his given name. Yuuri bit his lip, looking down. He didn’t know what to say. Viktor’s question was a looming one, and it was one Yuuri had long since been asking himself. Did he hate Viktor? Viktor, whose father had murdered his family. Viktor, who disrupted everything Yuuri tried to do. Viktor, who had JJ and Cao Bin tortured to death and then gave Yuuri ten lashes over refusing to have _dinner_ with him. Yuuri’s face relaxed, and he looked Viktor in the eye.

“Yes,” Yuuri said clearly, eyes boring into Viktor’s. “ _I hate you._ ”

Viktor stared at Yuuri, seeming to search his eyes for something before sighing. “Fine, he said, taking a step back. Yuuri breathed in relief. However, suddenly he was grabbed by the waist and thrown, shouting out in pain as he landed on his back on the… mattress? Yuuri stared up at Viktor incredulously as the man slowly approached him, unbuttoning his shirt as he went. “If you hate me so much…” Viktor pushed Yuuri down, straddling his waist as he discarded his shirt. “ _I’ll give you a real reason to hate me_.”

Yuuri’s shout for help was quickly muffled as Viktor’s mouth collided with his. Yuuri’s eyes were wide as teeth crashed together and a tongue slipped into his mouth. What was Viktor doing? Why was he… The reality of the situation slowly dawned on Yuuri as his mouth was assaulted, and he began to thrash and kick. No! He didn’t want this! He— Yuuri gasped for air as his mouth was released, but he shouted again as teeth were buried into his neck. He feebly attempted to push Viktor off, but he was weak from his injuries. Viktor caught Yuuri’s wrists, settling them into one strong hand and pinning them above Yuuri’s head. Yuuri continued to kick as Viktor’s free hand ran down Yuuri’s chest. Viktor squeezed Yuuri’s nipple, and Yuuri took a sharp breath. “Viktor!” he shouted, trying his best to throw the man off of him.

Yuuri was suddenly struck across the face. He looked up at Viktor with a stinging cheek and wide eyes, and Viktor’s gaze was dark and cold. “Shut up,” he commanded. “Shut up or I’ll tie you to that mast and whip you until I can see your bones.”

Yuuri froze. The pain in his back was an acute reminder to Yuuri that this wasn’t an empty threat. Yuuri searched Viktor’s eyes desperately, hoping to find some levity, but there was none. Yuuri went limp, giving up. Tears rolled down his cheeks, and Viktor huffed at the sight of them. He released Yuuri’s wrists, though, and his ministrations became less forceful. They were still rough, though, and Yuuri winced with every bite mark that marred his flesh. Viktor’s teeth grazed down Yuuri’s chest to his nipple before the bud was pulled into Viktor’s mouth and sucked on hard. Yuuri cried out at the sensation, Viktor’s hands roaming Yuuri’s stomach and settling on his hips. To Yuuri’s horror, his body was becoming aroused by this, and he tried with every ounce of strength to will his erection to go down. It didn’t work, however, as Viktor’s mouth moved to his other nipple, and one hand moved up to play with the first bud. Yuuri clenched his thighs together, and Viktor noticed. With a smirk, he palmed Yuuri’s arousal through his trousers.

“Getting excited, are we?” Viktor taunted. “How funny. And here I thought you were strongly opposed to being violated! It seems you have more perversions than I thought.”

Yuuri snapped back, “I’m not enjoying this!” Viktor tilted his head, eyes going half lidded as he smiled.

“Tell that to your poor member,” he teased. Yuuri flushed in humiliation. However, Viktor then grabbed Yuuri’s hand, pulling it to Viktor’s crotch. To Yuuri’s horror, a large hardness was there, and knowing what was coming, Yuuri paled. Viktor laughed cruelly at the look on Yuuri’s face. “Scared, Yuuri?” he almost purred. “Who would’ve thought it would only take something like _this_ to make you truly fear me. I should have done this earlier!”

Yuuri wanted to argue, but he could only whimper as Viktor grabbed his bulge again. Viktor began rubbing, bringing Yuuri to full hardness as the man cried. Viktor pulled Yuuri’s pants down in one strong tug, tossing them away and leaving Yuuri completely bare before Viktor. Yuuri felt a deep sense of shame as the captain raked his eyes down Yuuri’s body hungrily. The man began pumping Yuuri’s member. Yuuri felt spikes of pleasure, and he felt sick. Yuuri hated this. He wanted to die now more than he ever had, revenge or not. Yuuri gasped in bursts as he was forcibly brought over the edge, cumming in white stripes across his own chest.

Viktor looked pleased, using one hand to smear the ejaculate into Yuuri’s skin. Yuuri flushed deeply as he was shamed for his release, made dirty by Viktor’s hands. Viktor leaned over and fished something out of the nightstand, and to Yuuri’s pathetic relief, he realized that at least Viktor planned on preparing him. Viktor wasted no time, coating his fingers in oil and bringing them down to Yuuri’s hole. Yuuri feebly tried to push Viktor away, but the captain simply ignored him. Yuuri made a loud sound as the first finger pressed inside his body. He felt disgusting, having never even touched himself like that before. The sensation of something foreign in his body was sickening, and Yuuri yelped as a second finger probed, stretching him painfully. “Wait!” he pleaded, but Viktor was an impatient man. He pressed a third finger inside, and the pain was searing. Viktor began to thrust those fingers in and out, and Yuuri cried out in agony. His back hurt. His unmentionables hurt. Everything hurt, and Yuuri wanted to die.

It eventually got easier. Viktor added more oil, and the pain eased. Yuuri did not enjoy it, but at least it didn’t feel like he was being torn apart anymore. Those fingers continued thrusting, and suddenly, they curled, and Yuuri arched off the bed as he felt an intense spike of pleasure course through his body. “ _Ah!_ ” he gasped as the spot was caressed again, and Yuuri stared at Viktor with wide eyes. “What is—?”

“Hm?” Viktor hummed, looking all too pleased with himself. “Are you unfamiliar with that? That’s a spot that makes men feel really _good_ ,” Viktor chuckled. “Just wait until I fill you up.”

Yuuri paled again at the realization of what was next. Viktor spread Yuuri’s legs, pushing them apart when Yuuri tried to squeeze them back together. Viktor pulled down his own trousers, revealing the massive hard length Yuuri had felt through his pants. Viktor began to oil himself up, and Yuuri shook his head, tears rolling down his cheeks. “Please,” he begged. “Please, no… It won’t fit. You’ll tear me apart!”

Viktor’s lip curled. “Good.”

The breath was knocked out of Yuuri as Viktor pressed the head inside of him. That searing pain was back tenfold, and Yuuri was unable to breathe. “P-Please—!” Yuuri tried to beg for mercy, but Viktor was uncaring. He snapped his hips forward, and the rest of his length penetrating Yuuri, and Yuuri screamed. “Please!” he cried. “Please, stop!” Viktor said nothing and began to thrust. Yuuri felt like he was being torn in half each time that long member pushed into him, and Yuuri shouted with every movement. To make matters worse, Viktor’s member started hitting that _spot_ again, and Yuuri was seeing stars despite the pain. He didn’t know what was worse: the pain or the pleasure. He was hard again, and Yuuri felt disgusted with his own body.

It was a quick ordeal after that. Viktor continued thrusting until he buried himself in Yuuri with a loud grunt, spilling his semen inside of him. Yuuri shuddered at the feeling of Viktor’s release, but as if to torment him more, Viktor began pumping Yuuri again, still buried inside of him. Yuuri came with a loud, agonized groan, and Viktor finally pulled out. He loomed over Yuuri for several seconds, eyes raking over his handiwork.

“There,” Viktor said finally. “Now you can hate me.” With that, he dismounted Yuuri and disappeared into the bathroom.

Yuuri cried, but he wasted no time. It hurt when he pulled himself to his feet, pain shooting through his back from his backside. He quickly pulled on his pants, however, limping to the door of the captain’s cabin and unlocking it before hobbling away as fast as he could. Yuuri half expected to be followed, but he wasn’t. Yuuri didn’t know where to go except downstairs, and when he got there, everyone was asleep. His footsteps roused Phichit, though, and the tanned man blinked at him. “Yuuri?” he yawned before he got a look at the shirtless man covered in bite marks. Phichit grinned. “Yuuri, you sly dog!” he exclaimed. However, when he saw the look on Yuuri’s face, his grin immediately dropped into wide-eyed horror. “Wait… Yuuri, he didn’t—“ Yuuri limped as fast as he could back upstairs, unable to face Phichit. This time, he went all the way up to the deck, finding a place among the barrels and curling up into a ball.

Yuuri cried the second hardest he ever had in his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp. I warned ya.
> 
> Viktor's intentions are still unknown, but at least we can establish that he's cruel, unusual, and kinky.
> 
> Anyway, the more I write this the darker it gets. It's gonna turn into some psychological mess pretty soon, so prepare yourselves for one very unreliable narrator.
> 
> Let me know what you think, even if it's to curse me or Viktor or both!


	6. Tortuga

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Viktor's ship makes port at Tortuga.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't think any of you are actually expecting this turn of events.

Yuuri remained on the deck until nearly dawn. He cried until he didn’t have any tears left, staring blankly out at the sea. Viktor had raped him. The fact that it had happened still hadn’t hit Yuuri completely, but those words repeated again and again in his mind. _Viktor had raped him_. Yuuri almost wished he’d let Viktor tear his back to shreds with the whip. At least then, he might have died and wouldn’t be suffering the way he was now. Yuuri had never felt so violated in his life. He felt sick, disgusted with both Viktor and himself. He couldn’t believe he had gotten off on his own rape. His body had betrayed him, and Yuuri felt horribly sickened by it. More than sickened was he by Viktor, though. Viktor, who had tortured and then violated Yuuri on whims. Viktor, who could not simply be disposed of by a higher power the way JJ and Cao Bin had been.

Yuuri hated Viktor.

It was a deep, seething hatred, one that had only been matched once before by Yuuri’s hatred for Nikolai. Yuuri had wondered before if Viktor deserved the same fate he’d intended for Nikolai, but now he was certain without a doubt that Viktor deserved every ounce of pain and more. Viktor was a cruel, unjust bastard. He’d stripped Yuuri of his dignity over and over again, this time possibly irreparably. Yuuri was filled with his hatred for Viktor. The worst part was, Viktor was nearly untouchable, and he had the power to do it again. Viktor’s crew would not stop him. Yuuri couldn’t stop him. For all Yuuri knew, he was fated to become a sex toy for Viktor. Was that what Viktor had meant when he’d said Yuuri was _his?_ Was that why Viktor had told Yuuri that he still held value to him? Yuuri felt horribly stupid. If only he’d known so he could have thrown himself overboard long before Viktor ever touched him.

Yuuri stood suddenly, then. He looked over the railing of the ship. The sea was dark and endless, its waters cruel and unforgiving, just like Viktor. Yuuri climbed up on the railing, leaning in and holding himself only by a rope. He could do it. Now, before anyone was awake and knew. They couldn’t stop him. They’d never find him if he sacrificed himself to the depths now. It looked so tempting…

Yuuri had a thought, though. If not Yuuri, who would subject Viktor to his deserved fate? For a moment, Yuuri wondered if it was impossible, if killing Viktor was just a fool’s errand anyway. However, the more he thought of Viktor, of the way Viktor tortured and humiliated and violated him, the more that hatred welled up in Yuuri’s heart. He wanted Viktor dead—no. No, he wanted Viktor to _suffer_ , suffer the way Yuuri did now. Nikolai had escaped Yuuri’s wrath in his death, but Viktor couldn’t. Viktor was still alive. Maybe he wasn’t the most vulnerable, but he was still breathing, still a target for Yuuri’s vengeance.

Yuuri would get revenge, for his family and for himself.

Yuuri’s mind didn’t move off of that thought. His hatred for Viktor had sunk deep into his heart, and it plagued Yuuri’s every waking moment. He had snuck below deck before the crew had awoken, cleaning himself up and getting dressed. He headed back to the deck and sat on the railing, watching the waves in silence. His mind raked for ideas, for methods of torture he could inflict upon Viktor. Yuuri quickly realized that he wouldn’t be able to do much of anything aboard the ship. Rather, he’d have to wait—wait until they made port at Tortuga. Then, Viktor wouldn’t have the power he did now, confined to a ship with a loyal crew. Then, somehow, Viktor would become vulnerable.

Yuuri completed his duties every day as the ship sailed for Tortuga. Yuuri never told anyone what had happened to him, but they knew. They shot him pitying looks, and Yuuri’s heart filled with shame and rage. How dare Viktor reduce him to nothing more than a victim of cruelty? Viktor would die. Days passed, though, and Viktor seldom made an appearance. When he did, he didn’t acknowledge Yuuri, and Yuuri didn’t acknowledge him. He wanted no sense of familiarity with the man. On the last day before they would arrive at Tortuga, however, Viktor stopped as he passed Yuuri going below deck. He placed a hand on Yuuri’s shoulder, stopping him as well. “Yuuri,” Viktor said in a stern tone, and Yuuri figured he was about to order him around. Yuuri refused to allow that now. He wrenched his shoulder out of Viktor’s grasp and continued on his way. Viktor watched after him but said nothing.

Finally, the day came that Yuuri saw land on the horizon. Chris was beside him with a spyglass, and he grinned. “There it is. Beautiful, isn’t it?” he said to Yuuri. Yuuri merely nodded. It was beautiful indeed, the place where Viktor would die. Yuuri’s heart fluttered at the thought.

The ship sailed to the docks and was tied up, and Chris barked orders. Each crew member was given instructions on their tasks to complete while on land. Some were to barter and trade, others were to seek out replacements for JJ and Cao Bin. Yuuri himself was assigned to a group and given a pouch of gold pieces to buy some more grains. Yuuri found it odd, being told to _buy_ something among pirates, but he supposed that such dangerous men didn’t want to start fights with each other at port. Yuuri did as instructed, venturing into the strange town. It was unlike anything Yuuri had seen before. Nothing was peaceful, fistfights occurring every few minutes, and the streets were littered with broken rum bottles and starving animals. Yuuri was deeply unnerved by the place, so he made a beeline to where he was told the black market of sorts would be. He wanted to get in and out of there as soon as possible.

Yuuri had to barter a bit. The first seller he encountered asked a frankly ridiculous amount for a barrel of rice, and Yuuri took his business elsewhere. He was able to find a more reasonable seller, though, and managed to barter the price down from there. His crewmates seemed impressed with Yuuri’s haggling skills and didn’t make him carry the barrels of grain back to the ship. Consequently, Yuuri was left free to roam the island. He made his way out of the more populated areas down to the docks, admiring the many pirate ships there. They were large, commandeered from the richest merchants and the royal navy itself. Yuuri felt a sense of admiration and quickly shook it from his head. He shouldn’t be admiring _pirates_ , of all people.

Yuuri took a seat by the water, allowing the waves to just reach his bare feet. It was peaceful for a while there, the sun reaching its height and then sinking down to the horizon. It was at sunset that Yuuri felt the eyes on him and turned to find Viktor watching him from the dock. The two regarded each other tensely for a moment. Yuuri’s stomach turned to ice. He considered that maybe this was his chance to kill the man before a shout of Yuuri’s name erased the thought. Chris and Phichit ran up from behind Viktor, brushing past the captain and barreling toward Yuuri. They each grabbed one of Yuuri’s arms, pulling him from the ground.

“C’mon, Yuuri!” Phichit sang. “Let’s go!”

“Go?” Yurui asked with a sinking feeling. Were they setting sail already? But Yuuri hadn’t gotten a chance to—

“We’re going drinking!” Chris exclaimed, cutting off Yuuri’s worries. Yuuri sighed in relief as he was dragged back to the deck by the two men.

However, then a voice behind them said, “Ah, drinking? I think I shall join you.” Yuuri turned his head to find Viktor walking behind the three men, an unreadable expression on his face. Yuuri shuddered at the gaze and averted his own. The air between all four men became tense. Chris and Phichit both knew what the captain had done to Yuuri, and Yuuri’s stomach was in knots at the mere presence of the man. Why did Viktor insist on haunting Yuuri? Hadn’t he done enough?

Apparently not, as the men entered a bar where many members of the crew sat, drinking merrily. Yurui was sat on a bar stool, Phichit and Chris taking either side of him protectively. Yuuri was grateful for that, but Viktor took a seat beside Chris, and he was far too close for Yuuri’s comfort. Phichit ordered a round for all of them, and a pint of something was pushed in front of Yuuri. Yuuri smelled the vile liquid and grimaced.

“Ah,” he told Chris and Phichit when they looked at him strangely. “I’m not much of a drinker.”

Chris’s concerned expression morphed into a laugh. “Oh, c’mon, Yuuri! We’ve gone so many days and nights working tirelessly at sea! We all deserve a drink, don’t you think?”

Phichit started snickering. “Or is it that you’re a lightweight, Yuuri? What, scared you’ll get drunk and pass out after one round?”

Yuuri flushed indignantly. “No!” he said defensively, taking his pint in hand. He took a sip of the yellowish liquid inside and grimaced at the taste. Chris and Phichit broke into fits of giggles, and heat creeped to Yuuri’s face. Come on, he could do this! With a deep breath, he threw the pint back and gulped.

Everything after that became a blur. Yuuri was indeed a lightweight, and after three rounds, he found his head swaying back and forth. At some point, Chris had gotten challenged to a drinking game by Georgi, and Phichit got up to watch it, cheering loudly. Yuuri winced at the noise. His head felt strange and light. He sipped on a fourth pint, the taste no longer bothering him as much.

However, Yuuri was so disoriented, he hadn’t realized he’d been left alone and vulnerable. Suddenly, there was a presence beside him, and Yuuri looked up to find that Viktor had settled in Chris’s seat, watching Yuuri intently. Yuuri’s mind was fuzzy, but he registered his own fear.

Viktor was quiet for a while before he broke into a smirk. “You are a lightweight, aren’t you?” he taunted. Yuuri felt heat creep to his ears.

“’M not a lightweight…” he grumbled, but his words were slurred, and Viktor grinned.

“You are, or you’d have run away by now. Don’t think I haven’t noticed your fear of me; you can hardly stand to look me in the eye.”

Yuuri turned his head toward Viktor, trying to meet the man’s gaze, but his vision was going in and out. “I’m not scared of you,” he grumbled. “You’re an evil bastard, but ‘m not scared of you…”

Viktor smirked, resting his chin on his hand and leaning toward Yuuri. “Oh? Then you don’t mind if I…” Suddenly, Viktor’s hand was on Yuuri’s thigh, moving upwards. Yuuri leapt out of his seat. He stared at Viktor in terror. Viktor didn’t press the matter, though, bursting into laughter. “That’s what I thought.” Viktor grabbed Yuuri’s drink and threw it back in one go, and Yuuri glared.

“You’re cruel.”

Viktor seemed amused. “ _Pirate_ ,” he said matter-of-factly. Yuuri didn’t relax and didn’t take his seat again, and Viktor’s smile dropped. Yuuri barely caught the words. “You really do hate me, don’t you?” Viktor mumbled under his breath before sighing. The captain stood, and Yuuri flinched. However, Viktor merely brushed past Yuuri toward the exit of the bar. He gave Yuuri another glance. “Don’t worry, Mr. Katsuki,” he said bitterly, “I know when I’m not wanted somewhere. Enjoy your drinking.” With that, Viktor disappeared out the door.

Yuuri stared after Viktor in drunken confusion. Viktor knew he wasn’t wanted? Why hadn’t that stopped him the other night, then? Yuuri grumbled, sitting back down and ordering another pint. He wanted to drink so much he forgot everything that had ever happened to him. As Yuuri sipped, though, watching the Chris and Phichit compete in some drinking game in the center of the bar, something nagged Yuuri. Somewhere, deep in the recesses of his thoughts, a reminder came that he needed to kill Viktor while on land, and he almost dropped his pint, setting it back on the counter as the realization dawned on him. This was his chance! The crew was drunk and distracted, and Viktor was alone. It was now or never, so Yuuri got out of his seat and stumbled out of the bar. He looked left and right, wondering where Viktor could have gone. Most men at Tortuga slept aboard their ships, and Yuuri realized with horror that that was probably where Viktor was going. Yuuri ran toward the docks, hardly registering the things he bumped into due to his lack of motor coordination. He really was drunk. However, in the distance, Yuuri spotted that familiar silver ponytail and slowed to a brisk walk. Viktor was still a ways away from the ship, and Yuuri felt adrenaline pump through him. This was his chance.

Suddenly, however, Viktor took a turn down an alleyway between two buildings. Yuuri followed him, and Viktor turned again. Yuuri continued following Viktor without thinking about it and was led deeper and deeper into Tortuga. It dawned on him that he might be lost, but that didn’t matter right now—he needed to kill Viktor. Yuuri turned a corner, though, and Viktor was gone. Yuuri slowly walked down the abandoned alleyway, looking around for Viktor. Shit. Had Yuuri lost him? A deep voice behind Yuuri answered that question. “You really do want me dead, don’t you, Mr. Katsuki?”

Yuuri whirled around to find Viktor there, leaning against a wall with his arms crossed. He regarded Yuuri with an amused expression. Yuuri’s face twisted. “Yes,” he said to answer Viktor’s question, “I want you dead. I’m going to kill you, right here, right now.”

“Oh?” Viktor said, not looking the slightest bit scared. “Are you now? Right here, lost in the alleys of Tortuga, drunk off your ass? This is how you’re going to kill me?” Viktor pushed off the wall, striding toward Yuuri. “How do you intend on doing it, then?” Yuuri opened and closed his mouth, floundering for words as the other man approached him. However, before he could formulate a coherent response, Viktor grabbed Yuuri’s hands, and Yuuri tried to tug them back. Viktor’s grip was firm, though, as he placed Yuuri’s hands around his own neck. Yuuri blinked in surprise, and Viktor hummed in a low voice, “Like this?” His eyes twinkled with amusement. “Here I thought you wanted me to suffer. But if this is your wish, then do it. Strangle me now.” Yuuri felt Viktor’s pulse beneath his fingertips, but he didn’t move either to squeeze or release Viktor’s throat. He simply stared at the man uncomprehendingly. Viktor smirked. “You’re so drunk. Go on, do it. End my life if that’s what you really want.” Yuuri still didn’t move, though, and Viktor sniffed. He stepped away from Yuuri, and Yuuri’s hands fell to his sides. Viktor started to walk away, saying, “That’s what I thought. You really are bad at vengeance, Mr. Katsuki.”

Yuuri clenched his fists, but he didn’t know what to do. This was his chance to kill Viktor, but he hadn’t actually put any thought into how to do it. He wanted it to be painful, and strangling was too easy. Yuuri didn’t have a knife or any other weapon, though, and he didn’t know what to do. His head was spinning with confusion and drink. He couldn’t think. Viktor was getting farther and farther away, though, and Yuuri didn’t want to lose his chance! He ran after Viktor, grabbing the man by the shoulders and slamming him into the wall. Viktor regarded Yuuri with intrigue, eyes searching Yuuri’s and seeming amused at what he found there. Yuuri was filled with conflicting thoughts. _Kill him! Let him go! Find a knife! Break his bones! This is useless! You can’t kill him now! You could never kill him!_

Yuuri didn’t know what to do, and on impulse, he crashed his lips against Viktor’s.

Viktor seemed as surprised as Yuuri was, eyes wide open. However, he quickly melted into it and kissed back, one hand cradling Yuuri’s head firmly. Yuuri didn’t know what he was doing. He was so drunk, and everything around him was spinning. He pulled back, staring uncomprehendingly at Viktor, and Viktor stared back at him with that same damn indecipherable expression of his. Yuuri wanted to wipe it off his face. He took a hold of Viktor’s shirt and ripped it open. _Ha!_ he found himself thinking proudly. _Let him see how it feels to have his shirt ruined!_ Viktor allowed it, though, and he stopped doing much of anything. He simply laid back and watched Yuuri as the man began kissing and biting down his neck. When Yuuri reached his nipples, though, he pinched hard, and Viktor winced, catching Yuuri’s hands.

“What are you doing?” Viktor asked, looking irritated. “Don’t be so rough! Haven’t you ever done this before?” Without thinking about it, Yuuri shook his head ‘no.’ Viktor looked surprised for a moment, but then his expression darkened into one of lust. He kissed Yuuri again, guiding Yuuri’s hands back to his chest. He pulled back and whispered against Yuuri’s mouth, “ _Gentle._ ” Yuuri heeded the instructions for some reason, and he began gently pinching and tweaking Viktor’s nipples. Viktor groaned, and at some point, the two slid down the wall. Yuuri straddled Viktor, feeling an odd sense of accomplishment at the hardness he felt under his ass. He was doing a good job.

When it came to the next part, though, Yuuri realized how poorly planned all of this was. He pulled down Viktor’s trousers, exposing the length to the air, and realized he had no idea what to do next. Viktor admired his dazed and confused expression as he stared at Viktor’s member and smirked. “Get down between my legs,” Viktor ordered. Yuuri almost fell as he did so, kneeling between Viktor’s thighs. Viktor took a hold of Yuuri’s hair and guided his head downward, and Yuuri realized with a vibrant blush what he was being coaxed to do. He looked up at Viktor in terror, and the man still wore that pleased smirk. “Open your mouth,” he instructed. Yuuri didn’t know why, but he did. The taste was salty as the tip of Viktor’s member touched his tongue. Yuuri recoiled at the flavor, but Viktor held his head down, pushing it further down until Yuuri gagged. Viktor moaned at the sensation and pulled Yuuri’s head back up before pushing it back down again. Yuuri couldn’t do anything except keep his mouth open wide and stare up at Viktor as he gagged. “Less teeth,” Viktor instructed, and Yuuri did as he was told. “Use your tongue. Yeah, just like that.” Viktor threw his head back and groaned loudly, and Yuuri felt strangely proud, beginning to bob his head on his own in slow, repetitive movements. Viktor kept his hand tangled in Yuuri’s hair, allowing him to do as he wished. However, after a while, Viktor began pushing and pulling again, moving Yuuri’s head faster. Yuuri could barely keep up with the gags as he was forced down deep on Viktor’s member over and over. Before Yuuri could register what was about to happen, his head was pushed down deeper than before, and Yuuri felt something hot splatter against the back of his throat. Viktor held him there for a moment, but as soon as he let go, Yuuri retracted, coughing and sputtering. There was an intensely salty taste in his mouth, and Yuuri realized with a tinge of disgust that Viktor came down his throat.

Yuuri thought it would be over after that, but evidently, Viktor wasn’t done. As soon as Yuuri was done wiping his mouth, he was pulled back onto Viktor’s lap and kissed again. Yuuri wondered if Viktor was grossed out as his tongue licked into Yuuri’s mouth. Viktor didn’t seem to mind, though, and his hands began to roam underneath Yuuri’s shirt. It was only then that Yuuri realized how hard Viktor still was as well as how hard _he’d_ become simply from sucking Viktor off. There was a sense of shame, but the drunkenness seemed to muffle it for the most part. A hand snuck down Yuuri’s pants, and Yuuri moaned out loud as his hardness was stroked. Yuuri’s trousers were pulled down and removed, and Yuuri wondered what Viktor was planning. When Viktor pulled out the vial of oil, though, Yuuri realized with horror that he intended on fingering him open again. Remembering the pain from last time, Yuuri snatched the bottle of oil away from Viktor. Viktor looked shocked, and Yuuri panted. “L-Let me do it,” he said in a breathy tone.

Viktor seemed all too content with that, leaning back and watching Yuuri finger himself. The first finger was strange, but less strange than when it had been Viktor’s. The second finger hurt, but Yuuri was gentler than Viktor had been, and he carefully stretched himself until the pain eased. He added the third finger, repeating the process and thoroughly stretching himself out in preparation for Viktor. He curled his fingers, and his back arched as he brushed that _spot_ , a loud moan pouring from his lips. Viktor looked positively hungry as Yuuri began thrusting his fingers in and out, hitting that spot again and again. Finally, Viktor couldn’t seem to stand it anymore, grabbing Yuuri’s wrist and pulling his fingers out of him. Viktor took the oil from Yuuri, lathering himself up, and Yuuri took the initiative from there. He placed his hands on Viktor’s shoulders and lined himself up before slowly sinking down. The fit was tight even with Yuuri’s preparation, and it hurt a little, but nothing like before. Yuuri grit his teeth and bore it as he filled himself all the way with Viktor, sinking down to the hilt. Viktor stared at him with lust-drunk eyes, and Yuuri stared back with actually drunk eyes. Yuuri stayed there for several moments until the pain eased before slowly lifting himself up and sinking back down.

It was slow and careful at first. Yuuri didn’t want to get hurt again, but when the pain ceased and didn’t come back, Yuuri began to move faster. Viktor was large, and his member brushed Yuuri’s insides in a way that made Yuuri shiver with every bounce. Viktor tilted his hips, and Yuuri gasped as that spot was hit again, unconsciously moving faster to chase the pleasure. He began moving his hips up and down feverishly, and Viktor started thrusting to meet him. Somewhere along the way, Yuuri’s arms became wrapped around Viktor’s neck, and they were kissing again. Yuuri hardly registered Viktor’s groan as he came, too distracted by his own orgasm ruthlessly rocking his body. Yuuri couldn’t remember a time when such intense pleasure coursed through him, and he tilted his head back, mouth agape as he came hard on Viktor’s abdomen. As soon as the high diminished, he collapsed against the other man, face nestled in the crook of Viktor’s neck. His head became intensely foggy after his orgasm, and he lost coherent thought.

Yuuri barely registered his pants being pulled back up or the arms that scooped him and carried him. He didn’t comprehend anything as he was taken aboard the familiar ship and brought below the deck to the captain’s cabin. He just barely felt the wet rag that wiped him down and the sheets that were pulled over him. Sometime after that, he dozed off altogether, only waking up for brief periods of time to find Viktor sitting on the bed beside him, watching him. One of those times, Yuuri stared back and opened his mouth to say something. Whatever he mumbled was incoherent, though, and Viktor’s lips twitched upwards.

“Rest,” Viktor said. “Something tells me you’ll need your energy in the morning.”

Yuuri didn’t know what that meant, but he followed the instructions anyway and shut his eyes. It didn’t take him long to fall asleep for good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Was I right? Were any of you expecting it?
> 
> And before I get my head cut off, no, I am not supporting Yuuri's rape or saying he wanted it just because he drunkly consented a second time. In fact, this chapter was also rape because Yuuri was very drunk during it. Viktor's still the asshole no matter how you frame it. Yuuri is going to have to do some thinking, though, so think of this turn of events as a... catalyst of sorts.
> 
> Anyway, love me, hate me, say what you want about me, but all of the boys and all of the girls are begging to comment on my fic and let me know what they think ;-) Did I just reference a Britney Spears song in my endnote? Yes. I'm a little drunk myself, sue me. Thanks again for reading, even if you violently detest this dark shit! <3


	7. Obedience

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri wakes up after making a great mistake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter kickstarts some plot shit. Stay tuned.

Viktor had been all too correct. Yuuri needed his energy when he woke the next morning.

It took Yuuri a moment to register anything. He blinked awake slowly, at first only noticing the rocking of the ship and the daylight filtering through the windows. Yuuri slowly turned on his side, seeing another person there. Where was he? Then he recognized the silver hair. Viktor? What was he doing there? Viktor was fast asleep, snoring softly. Yuuri’s eyes fixated on his face, on hip lips, on his neck, where several dark bite marks marred the flesh…

It all hit Yuuri at once.

Viktor was woke with a _thud_ as Yuuri screamed at the top of his lungs and pushed him off the bed. He scrambled to attention, looking around wildly and then glaring at Yuuri. “What the fuck are you doing?” he demanded.

Yuuri covered himself with the blanket despite miraculously being clothed. “Y-You—!” Yuuri stuttered, blushing furiously. “Again! You violated me _again!_ ”

Viktor looked unimpressed. “ _I_ violated _you?_ I don’t know how much of your memory you have from last night, but I can hold my liquor, and I distinctly remember _you_ kissing _me._ ”

Yuuri raked his memories and paled as he realized Viktor told the truth. He glared furiously at Viktor still. “I-I was drunk!” Yuuri yelled. “I didn’t know what I was doing! _You_ took advantage of me!”

Viktor huffed. “Oh, and I suppose I was the one who pushed you down and rode you, too?”

Yuuri sputtered indignantly, but he realized with horror that Viktor was right. Yuuri had initiated everything the previous night, and he didn’t know why. Why, even drunk out of his mind, would he want to… to…? Yuuri didn’t understand any of it. He furiously detangled himself from the sheets and stormed out of the room. Viktor let him go, not even moving to stop him as Yuuri fiddled with the lock.

When Yuuri got above deck, the crew had started to return. They were swaying and hung over, and Yuuri searched their faces desperately. When he found Phichit, he all but ran to him. “Phichit!” he exclaimed.

“ _Shhhhhhh!_ ” Phichit hissed, holding his head. “What are you doing, yelling like that? Just because you stopped at four pints doesn’t mean I didn’t drink enough to incapacitate an elephant last night!”

Yuuri dropped his voice. “Sorry,” he apologized. “I just… I need to talk to you.”

Phichit groaned. “Can it wait? My skull is hurting like someone smashed every bottle of rum I drank over my head!”

Yuuri shook his head. “No. I need to talk to someone _now_.”

Phichit eventually relented and let Yuuri lead him below deck to the crew’s quarters. Yuuri looked around carefully to find the few crew members that resided there fast asleep. Yuuri sat in his hammock and sighed. “So, what was it that couldn’t wait a few hours and a few glasses of water later?” Phichit grumbled.

Yuuri dropped his face into his hands. “I… I was really drunk last night.”

“I know.”

“And I did… something I didn’t mean to.”

“Now, Yuuri’s, we’ve all slapped Chris’s ass while drunk at least once. It’s nothing to be ashamed about—“

“I slept with Viktor.”

“He really does have quite an impressive ass—you _what?_ ”

Yuuri groaned loudly, and Phichit winced. Yuuri groaned softer. “I… I chased him down after he left the bar. I was going to kill him for what he did to me, but when I found him, I just… I kissed him, and then—“

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, Yuuri, back up,” Phichit said, hands raised. “You’re telling me that you intended to murder the captain…”

“Yes.”

“And somehow you ended up _shagging him?_ ”

“Yes!” Yuuri exclaimed, and Phichit winced again. “Sorry. Yes, I… _shagged_ him. On purpose.”

Phichit looked utterly perplexed. “But _why?_ Didn’t he—?”

“Yes,” Yuuri said, groaning again. “I… I don’t know why I did it. I wanted his head after… what he did to me. I wanted to inflict a slow, painful death upon him. But when I got there, hands around his throat, I couldn’t do it. I hesitated, and he started to walk away, so I ran after him, and—“ Yuuri buried his face in his hands once more. “Phichit, what am I going to do? He’ll never leave me alone now.”

Phichit seemed contemplative, eyes raking over Yuuri’s features. “It seems to me,” Phichit said finally, “that you’ve dug your own grave.” Yuuri glared at him. That wasn’t helpful. However, Phichit continued, and Yuuri was taken aback by his next words. “You know, sometimes being drunk makes us do things we don’t normally do because we’re limited in some way. Such as touching Chris’s ass: he’s the first mate, so normally we don’t get so familiar with him as to cop a feel. However, that doesn’t mean we don’t want to. Alcohol can unleash repressed desires.”

Yuuri was stunned. “Are you saying that I… _wanted_ to sleep with Viktor?”

Phichit shrugged. “It kind of seems like that might be the case,” he admitted.

However, Yurui grew furious. “So what you’re saying is that I _wanted_ what he did to me?” Yuuri raised his voice.

Phichit recoiled, eyes wide. “N-No, that’s not what I—“

“Save it!” Yuuri snapped. “I didn’t ask for anything Viktor has ever done to me. I chased him down thinking he was his father, and what a mistake _that_ was! I should never have left home! I could have completed my studies, become a merchant, and lived the rest of my days without ever meeting _you_ or that bastard Viktor Nikiforov!” Yuuri leapt to his feet and stormed upstairs, ignoring the call of ‘wait!’ behind him. Yuuri didn’t care. Phichit’s words were sickening, and Yuuri knew the truth: he had been manipulated. Viktor had drawn him in by forcing him, and in Yuuri’s drunken stupor, he had made a mistake. He hadn’t wanted any of it; Viktor must have just… made him feel like he had to do it!

Yuuri furiously completed his duties for the day, so quickly that he ended up taking on some more from the hungover sailors. Chris watched him with concern as he angrily tied ropes, bringing down the sails. The ship set sail, and Yuuri scrubbed at the deck with so much force, his knuckles were white. He couldn’t trust Phichit. He couldn’t trust Chris. He couldn’t trust any of them, and he especially couldn’t trust Viktor. That bastard had raped him and then, in his moment of weakness, taken advantage of him again.

Yuuri wanted Viktor _dead_.

Days passed, and Yuuri didn’t see Viktor’s face even once. Yuuri was quite frankly surprised. He’d expected Viktor to glue himself to Yuuri’s side after Yuuri’s drunken mistake. He expected Viktor to take it as an invitation and never leave him alone. Viktor did the opposite, though. He didn’t show his face even a single time in Yuuri’s presence for the next week at sea. Yuuri was both relieved and frustrated by that. On one hand, he didn’t want to see Viktor’s face. On the other, he didn’t know what Viktor was planning. Viktor’s disappearances never seemed to be purposeless. No, it felt like Viktor was biding his time for some reason, and that deeply unnerved Yuuri. It unnerved Yuuri so much that he was distracted when completing his duties, often making minor mistakes and leaving unfinished jobs. Chris clearly noticed but didn’t say anything, instead just calling over other crew members to “double check” Yuuri’s work. Yuuri knew he was being useless, but he didn’t care. He was scared. He had no idea what to anticipate from Viktor. Would it be more threats? Harassment? Torture? Or would he be forcefully bedded again? Yuuri didn’t know.

One day, Yuuri was on his seventh attempt at tying a rope, his mind caught up in thoughts of Viktor. The knot came untied again, and Yuuri feebly tried to retie it. However, suddenly a force knocked Yuuri on his side, taking the breath out of him. Yuuri scrambled onto his back, looking up in terror and expecting Viktor to be looming over him. Instead, though, he was met with the furious face of Yuri, the young blond, and Yuuri shuddered at the rage in his eyes. Yuri grabbed the rope Yuuri was fiddling with and swiftly tied the knot before turning back to Yuuri.

“You,” he hissed, “You have been nothing but a dead weight to this crew!”

Yuuri was wide-eyed with shock. “I…” he tried to say, but Yuri interrupted him.

“You think that just because you saved a few of us during a storm, you can just be lazy and do whatever you want! You think that because the captain has some sick little obsession with you, you’re invulnerable!” Yuri spat. Yuuri was unable to say anything to that, merely gaping. “Well, I’m tired of it! We’re all tired of it! Just because some stupid shit happened to you, you’re giving up! Are you that weak?” Yuri placed a foot on Yuuri’s chest, pushing him to the deck. “If that what you are, then do us all a favor and throw yourself into the sea! We have no use for weaklings aboard this ship!” Yuri stepped back then, and Yuuri sat up slowly. The blond was regarding Yuuri with an unreadable expression. “Or,” he said in a lower voice, “you can do something about it.” With that, Yuri had apparently said his piece, and he turned heel and stomped away.

Yuuri stared after Yuri in shock. Yuri had barely said anything to him the entire time he was aboard the _Stammi Vicino_ , and Yuuri wasn’t so daft as to not notice Yuri’s dislike for him. They’d broken out into that fistfight early on, and the blond had been sour toward him since. However, this was the first time Yuri had exploded on him like this. Yuuri didn’t know what to make of it, but he thought back on the words that were said and frowned. Yuri had called him weak and lazy and had even told him to throw himself into the sea, but somehow Yuuri knew that all of that was to goad Yuuri on into the last part: _do something about it_. Yuri, in his own brash way, was telling Yuuri that he needed to get off his ass and act instead of letting Viktor plague his mind and torment him. Yuuri set his jaw. Yuri was right.

“I see that look in your eye,” suddenly came Chris’s voice, and Yuuri turned to see the first mate leaning against the mast. “You have some wicked ideas in that pretty little head of yours. I can’t say I endorse them, but Yuri did make an interesting point.” With that, Chris returned to his duties, too, and Yuuri was left alone.

Yuuri got back to work with purpose, and he could see the relief of the crew when he wasn’t doing his duties so poorly anymore. Yuuri realized they must have been tired of cleaning up his mess, and he silently apologized to them. He would do better, and that wasn’t all. Yuri’s words had awoken a very tantalizing possibility in Yuuri’s head. Yuri had told Yuuri to act, and nobody aboard the ship was so foolish as to think Yuuri wanted Viktor alive and well. If Yuri was goading Yuuri into the idea, then that meant that Yuri probably didn’t want Viktor alive, either. Yuuri had previously thought the crew loyal to Viktor, but the more he thought about it, the more he realized that said loyalty was probably based off of fear. If the source of that fear was gone, then they would have no reason to serve under Viktor. In fact, many members of the crew probably hated Viktor as much as Yuuri did!

With that in mind, Yuuri concocted a new plan in his mind. He had the crew on his side, at least in this specific matter. Many were escaped convicts, and those skills could prove useful to Yuuri. Yuuri had an idea.

It took some careful phrasing and hidden intentions to convince Georgi. The man didn’t have anything against Yuuri necessarily, but he was suspicious as to why Yuuri suddenly showed interest in lock picking. Yuuri played it off masterfully, though, giving his reasoning as Viktor’s own unpredictability. “What if,” Yuuri had said, “Viktor suddenly decides to lock me in the brig so that he can do what he wishes with me? I know none of you would dare betray your captain, but would it be betrayal if I was the one who escaped?” Georgi seemed to consider this point carefully. Nobody left aboard the ship liked what Viktor had done to Yuuri. Nobody ever said it, but the weight of the torture and rape hung heavily in the air whenever Yuuri was around. Yuuri knew he could use it to his advantage.

“Alright,” Georgi finally said, “I’ll teach you. However, you must not tell _anyone_ how you learned this, understand?” Georgi was pretty timid for a pirate.

“Understood,” Yuuri replied firmly. The two of them waited until night before sneaking down to the brig together. Georgi provided Yuuri with a pick and a tension wrench, telling Yuuri that they were spares of his and to be careful not to lose them. From there, Yuuri was guided on how to do it. He didn’t really cling to the terminology, something about tension and cylinders, but Yuuri did pick up the motions. He gave it a few tries before he was able to get the brig’s heavy lock open. Then, Georgi suggested that he go inside the brig and try again. For a moment Yuuri was suspicious, but Georgi’s eyes were honest, and Yuuri allowed the other man to lock him in the brig. To Yuuri’s relief, Georgi stood by and watched, not abandoning Yuuri or leaving him to rot. Yuuri got to work on the lock. It was a little trickier this time, the angling awkward, but Yuuri managed to get the lock open with a satisfying _click_. Georgi looked proud and concluded the lesson, telling Yuuri to always keep the picking tools on his person just in case. Yuuri thanked him graciously, and the two returned to the crew’s quarters to get some sleep.

Or, at least, Georgi did.

Yuuri waited. He waited until he heard the telltale loud snoring of Georgi before sitting up in his hammock again. He carefully surveyed the other crew members, making sure they were all fast asleep before sneaking across the crew’s quarters. He rummaged through a pile of miscellaneous things the crew kept handy, retrieving a knife with a nice, satisfying curve to it. Yuuri crept slowly upstairs, not allowing the slightest creak of his footsteps against the floorboards. He made his way to the door of the captain’s cabin silently, dropping to his knees before the lock. He pressed his ear to the door and listened, and to his relief, soft, rhythmic breathing could be heard from inside. Yuuri knew he had to be quiet, though, as Viktor was an extremely light sleeper. With that in mind, he retrieved his tools and got to work on the lock. It was difficult to keep the attempts quiet, the lock lightly clicking as Yuuri jostled the pins. Yuuri just hoped Viktor slept through that much as he turned the tension wrench with a telltale _click_.

Yuuri was tense as he turned the knob, softly cracking the door. He didn’t dare open it much, not wanting to risk the door creaking, and slipped inside as soon as the crack was wide enough. It took several unnerving moments for Yuuri’s eyes to adjust to the darkness, but to his relief, Viktor was still asleep. Yuuri sighed as quietly as he could before steeling himself. He crept to the side of the bed, careful not to make a sound. Viktor didn’t stir, unmoving with the exception of his light breaths. Yuuri stared at Viktor’s body with an array of emotions. Satisfaction was one. Terror was another. This was the moment of truth, the moment he decided Viktor’s fate. He felt scared as he held the knife up before hesitating. No, stabbing him in his sleep was too easy. He wanted to make Viktor suffer. Yuuri looked around, spying a length of rope on the desk. He cautiously crept to the desk and retrieved it before returning to Viktor’s bedside. Now, how he was supposed to tie Viktor up without waking him, Yuuri wondered. Eventually, he cast the idea aside altogether. He would instead start by mortally wounding Viktor with the knife and then use the man’s dying moments to torture him for all he’d done. With that in mind, Yuuri held the knife up again. Viktor was still.

It was only when Yuuri swung the blade down that he realized Viktor was _too_ still.

Yuuri’s wrist was caught, and his body was thrown onto the bed. He shouted as he toppled onto the mattress, Viktor hovering above him with a heavy stare, still holding Yuuri’s wrist in a death grip. He studied Yuuri’s face coldly before finally recognizing him in the dark. That frown morphed in to a smirk. “Why, hello, Mr. Katsuki,” he purred.

Yuuri kicked upwards, and Viktor grunted as his stomach was kicked. However, he grit his teeth through it and positioned himself so that he pinned Yuuri’s legs down with his knees. Viktor laughed lightly. “Did you forget my words, Mr. Katsuki?” he jeered. “Didn’t I tell you I’m a light sleeper? Now, the fact that you managed to pick my lock without waking me is quite the feat. Color me impressed for that much. However,” he twisted Yuuri’s hand back until he released the knife with a yelp, the blade hitting the mattress beside them, “you were a fool to think I wouldn’t eventually sense your presence here. You should have just killed me when you had the chance!” Yuuri glared up at Viktor’s smug expression but said nothing, trying to formulate a plan. An idea came to mind, and Viktor was still laughing. “Really, to think you’d have the nerve to break in here after you—“

Yuuri didn’t listen to the chatter, throwing his head upward with as much force as possible and slamming his skull against Viktor’s. It hurt, but it hurt Viktor, too, and the man hissed, instinctively recoiling away from the force of it. Yuuri used the opportunity to throw the rest of his weight forward and upward, flinging Viktor’s body off of his. Yuuri scrambled for the knife and grabbed it, slashing at Viktor, but Viktor moved his head just in time, the blade only grazing his cheek. Blood started to ooze from the cut, and Viktor growled, dodging another swipe of the knife from Yuuri. When Yuuri’s body was thrown into the swing, though, Viktor caught him, throwing him with all of his strength off of the bed. Yuuri’s body hit the floor with a _thud_ , the knife clattering out of his hand. He was knocked breathless, and Viktor leapt to his feet, stomping toward Yuuri with heavy steps. The knife was out of reach, so Yuuri thought fast, grabbing onto Viktor’s ankle and pulling, sending the man crashing down onto the floor with Yuuri. While Viktor recovered, Yuuri scrambled for the knife again, managing to grip it just as his shoulders were grabbed. Yuuri was pulled to his feet and slammed against a wall, and in a moment of pure impulse, he stabbed the body in front of him, burying the knife in Viktor’s shoulder. Viktor shouted in pain, but he grabbed Yuuri’s wrists, effectively pinning the other man to the wall regardless. The look in Viktor’s eyes was seething as he glared down at Yuuri, and Yuuri felt small. He tried to wrench his wrists away, but Viktor’s grip on them was tight. The other man looked down to the knife in his shoulder with a grunt before releasing one of Yuuri’s wrists to pull it out. Before Yuuri could do anything with his released hand, however, that knife was at his throat. Yuuri’s eyes went wide.

“Hah… hah… You’re a clever little shit, aren’t you, Mr. Katsuki?” Viktor hissed. “You actually managed to land a scratch on me!” Viktor chuckled darkly, wiping the blood on his cheek. “However, you’re so consumed by your own hatred, you’ve become sloppy. You may have killed me if you’d just slit my throat when you came in, but no. You wanted to tie me up and make me suffer, right?” Viktor laughed. “Well, look how well _that_ went! Don’t think I’m going to succumb to wounds like these, Yuuri.” Yuuri shivered at the use of his given name. Viktor pressed the knife more firmly against Yuuri’s throat and sneered. “Now, what to do with you?” he hummed. “There’s many appealing options. I could gut you now with the very knife you intended to gut me with. I could cut your skin from your body, piece by piece. Or I could even just slit your throat, if I’m not inclined to bother.” Viktor smirked at the fear in Yuuri’s eyes. “You look so afraid. It’s deeply pleasurable to me to see such a submissive look in your eyes. Surely you’ve put together by now that I enjoy seeing you on your knees.” Viktor barked a sinister laugh. “Maybe that’s what I want, then. To see you on your knees.” Viktor stepped back then, knife still shining eerily in the moonlight. He smirked at Yuuri smugly. “Go on, then: on your knees.” Yuuri was taken aback and didn’t immediately move. Viktor curled his lip. “Unless you’d rather I choose one of those other ideas—“

“No!” Yuuri shouted before he could stop himself. Viktor looked smug. Yuuri didn’t know what else to do, so he sunk to his knees. He deeply feared that this would be going in a perverse direction, but Viktor apparently had other plans.

“Now, bow. Grovel. Beg me for forgiveness.” Yuuri tensed, and Viktor quickly followed the instructions with, “and don’t make me say it twice.” Yuuri was hesitant, but at this moment, the fear of death coursed through him more intensely than anything. Slowly, he sunk to the floor in a bow, his entire body shaking. Viktor didn’t seem satisfied yet. “I said _beg_ ,” he bit out, brandishing the knife in his hand.

Yuuri wanted to cry. Tears slipped down his cheeks as he choked out the words. “C-Captain,” he begged. “Please…”

“Please _what?_ ”

“S-Spare me,” Yuuri stammered. “D-Don’t… don’t kill me.”

Viktor looked utterly ravenous at Yuuri’s humiliation. “And why shouldn’t I? What will I get in return for not killing you?”

“I-I…” Yuuri didn’t know. He had no idea what Viktor wanted except for one thing. Yuuri choked as he realized what he was being threatened into offering. “M-Me,” Yuuri croaked.

“What was that?”

“ _Me!_ ” Yuuri found himself screaming. “Let me live, and you can have… me. To toy with, to do whatever sick, twisted thing you please with. That’s what you want, isn’t it?” Yuuri spat.

Viktor studied him for several moments, measuring Yuuri up. “You’ll do as I say, then?” Viktor hummed.

Yuuri couldn’t fight the chill that coursed through him. “Y-Yes,” he choked.

Viktor’s face morphed into a twisted grin. “I think I’m rather inclined to take you up on that offer, Yuuri,” he said. He grabbed Yuuri by the hair suddenly, though. “However,” he hissed, “listen now and listen well. I won’t forget what you tried to pull tonight. You are a treacherous, conniving wretch. I should kill you now, but I’m feeling kind enough to offer you mercy in exchange for your obedience. If you choose to disobey me, however,” Viktor pointed the knife back at Yuuri’s throat. “Don’t think I won’t make you wish you’d never been born.” Yuuri was dropped to the floor with a _thud,_ and he coughed and sputtered, hand cupping his bleeding throat. He stared up at Viktor in terror, and the captain regarded him with a satisfied expression. “Now, go,” he ordered. “Get some sleep. You’ll need it for tomorrow.”

Yuuri didn’t have to be told twice. He scrambled to his feet and fled the cabin, feeling those piercing blue eyes follow him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yep. Yuuri done fucked up. This is going in a different direction than I think you all are expecting, though.
> 
> A lot of you have been like "YUURI YOU IDIOT" about his actions in the past chapter, and yes, the boy is kinda dumb, but to be fair he was drunk off his ass and has been being threatened and manipulated this entire time aboard the ship. I haven't kept track of exactly how long it's been, but several weeks have passed with Viktor unnerving Yuuri. He's bound to break eventually.
> 
> Stay tuned~ And as always, please let me know what you think! <3


	8. Blood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri suffers the consequences of his deal with Viktor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Buckle in, kids. This chapter is intense.

As soon as Yuuri made that deal with Viktor, his emotions turned to pure dread. He’d agreed to be Viktor’s toy, and he knew what that meant for him. He expected it all: harassment, torture, rape, all of it. He expected to be touched and unable to fight back, reduced to nothing but a doll for Viktor.

Things didn’t go… exactly as Yuuri expected.

The first day after that night, Yuuri saw Viktor approaching him and tensed. He didn’t know what Viktor would make him do, but it certainly wasn’t the simple request that Yuuri take over the helm. Yuuri was confused at first, asking, “What?” but Viktor simply gave him a stern look. Yuuri did as told and went to the helm. There, Chris provided Yuuri with a compass before going off to do his own duties. Viktor lingered, though, pacing behind Yuuri unnervingly.

“We’re going southwest,” Viktor said after Yuuri stood there dumbly long enough. “Steer us that way.” Yuuri reluctantly grabbed the helm. Somehow, he felt like this was a trap, but how? He was simply steering the ship, and with the easy breezes of the day, it wasn’t even a difficult task. Yuuri held the compass in his left hand and steered with his right, directing the ship southwest as he’d been told. Suddenly, however, there was a hand on his at the helm, moving the wheel just a little to the left. “You’re slightly off,” Viktor said, voice far too close to Yuuri’s ear. Yuuri gulped and nodded, holding the helm where Viktor had moved it. Viktor paced some more, humming under his breath. After a good long while of Yuuri simply standing there, steering the ship, Viktor approached Yuuri again. “Good boy,” Viktor whispered in Yuuri’s ear, and Yuuri shivered. “You may go now,” Viktor said then, brushing Yuuri away and taking back over the helm. Yuuri stared at Viktor in shock for a moment. What was he…? “Do I need to repeat myself, Mr. Katsuki?” Viktor gave Yuuri a purposeful look, and Yuuri quickly scurried away, going to Chris for instructions.

As Yuuri completed his duties, though, he was perplexed. What was that about? Why had Viktor ordered him to do something as mundane as steering the ship southwest? Something about it seemed off, and Yuuri felt unnerved.

It started off like that. Over the next few days, Viktor would occasionally beckon Yuuri and command him to complete some menial task. At first, it was things like bringing a map to Chris for him, but eventually, it started getting more humiliating. After three days, Yuuri was called to Viktor and once again instructed to shine his boots. Yuuri was provided a cloth and sighed, relieved that at least that he wouldn’t be using the shirt off his back this time. However, then Viktor said, “Look at me.” Yuuri did on instinct, more out of confusion than anything. However, as soon as his chin was tilted up, Viktor caught it, holding it there and staring into his eyes. Yuuri was perplexed by the strange action, but Viktor ordered him to get to work, so Yuuri did, still being forced to make that unnerving eye contact as he did so. When Yuuri was done, Viktor smirked and dismissed him, and Yuuri went back to the rest of the crew feeling more confused than ever.

The crew was confused, too, having watched the entire ordeal from their posts. “Wow, Yuuri,” Phichit said in a strange voice. “You’re being awfully… obedient these days.” Yuuri was still upset with Phichit over what he’d said about Yuuri wanting to sleep with Viktor, so Yuuri didn’t respond. He simply got to work, and the crew exchanged glances before doing the same.

Gradually, it got worse. Yuuri’s tasks given by Viktor became harder, dirtier, and more time consuming, and Yuuri was starting to fall behind on his regular duties. Yuuri was tasked with cleaning the brig, with recharting their location by the stars, and one day, simply with following Viktor around and doing whatever task he asked for on a whim. It was when Yuuri was braiding Viktor’s hair for him that Yuuri finally got the courage to ask, “What are you doing?”

Viktor seemed unfazed. “Hm?”

“These tasks you’re giving me… they’re strange,” Yuuri said. “Why did you ask me to chart our location when you and Chris have surely already done so? Why do you need me to braid your hair for you?”

Viktor gave Yuuri a side glance. “Is there a problem, Mr. Katsuki?” His tone was ominous.

Yuuri shivered. “N-No… I just… I was expecting—“

Viktor broke out into a smirk. “You were expecting what? For me to touch you? Why, if you want it that bad, all you need to do is ask, Mr. Katsuki.”

Yuuri flushed angrily. “N-No! That’s not what I—“

Viktor was laughing. “Why do you always assume I’m going to do something terrible to you?”

Yuuri grumbled under his breath, “Because you have done terrible things to me.”

“What was that?”

“Nothing!” Yuuri said frantically, quickly finishing Viktor’s braid.

Yuuri would regret ever opening his mouth.

The very next day after their conversation, Yuuri woke to an uproar. He trudged above deck, rubbing his eyes, and wondered what was going on. The crew was arguing about something. Yuuri listened, trying to make sense of the arguing voices.

“It was just a few apples!”

“It doesn’t matter! It was still stealing!”

Yuuri followed the argument and discovered that apparently, Leo had been caught stealing apples from the kitchen, and now the crew was arguing among themselves about what his punishment should be. They were just settling on Leo taking the dirty jobs for the day when a deep voice spoke up.

“The punishment for stealing is five lashes.”

The crew went silent and turned around the find Viktor approaching them with slow, ominous steps. Yuuri gulped.

“B-But captain,” Georgi piped up. “It was only—“

“It doesn’t matter,” Viktor interrupted. “Even if it was only a single apple, it was still stealing from our supplies. The punishment for thieves is five lashes.”

Leo looked absolutely pale, and Yuuri couldn’t keep himself from blurting out, “That’s absurd!”

Viktor turned sharply toward Yuuri, but the look on his face wasn’t cold. Rather, it was all too pleased, and Yuuri got a sinking feeling. “Mr. Katsuki,” Viktor ordered, “Come here.” Yuuri felt his limbs turn to ice, but as Viktor gave him a look of warning, Yuuri slowly trudged over to Viktor. Viktor smirked. “Chris, bring the whip.”

“Captain, I don’t think—“ Chris tried.

“I said, _bring the whip._ ” Viktor’s voice was dangerous, and Chris sighed before doing as told. The sandy haired man held the whip out to Viktor, but Viktor shook his head. “Don’t hand it to me. Hand it to Mr. Katsuki.”

Yuuri froze. “What?”

Viktor grinned. “You’re going to inflict Leo’s punishment for me.”

Yuuri paled. No… No, no, no, he couldn’t do _that!_ He couldn’t whip Leo over stealing apples! Yuuri remembered the agony of his own lashes and shook his head. “N-No!” he stuttered. “I—I won’t!”

Viktor’s eyes darkened, and he leaned forward to whisper in Yuuri’s ear. “You said you’d do _anything_ I ask of you,” he said in a low voice.

Yuuri was trembling. He remembered that knife at his throat, those threats to be skinned alive, and he was weak in the knees. Slowly, Yuuri took the whip from Viktor. Viktor barked orders for Leo to be tied to the mast as Yuuri had been, and Yuuri shook violently as he realized what he was about to do. He turned slowly toward the tanned man, back bare and exposed to the sun. He shook his head and closed his eyes. “I’m sorry, Leo,” he squeaked before holding his arm back and cracking the ship down.

Leo’s shout was terrible, and Yuuri couldn’t look at the damage he’d inflicted. Viktor was behind him in an instant, though, holding his wrist. “That was a pathetic lash,” Viktor said. “Let me help you.” With Viktor forcing his hand, Yuuri cracked the whip much harder, and Leo screamed. Again. And again. Yuuri finally looked after the last lash to find five bloody gashes marring Leo’s back, and Yuuri trembled so much, he dropped the whip. Viktor seemed satisfied, though. He leaned forward, whispering in Yuuri’s ear again, “ _Good boy_ ,” and Yuuri felt sick to his stomach, eyes glued to Leo, who slumped to the ground as soon as he was untied. “Well,” said Viktor, “let this be a reminder what the consequences of stealing are. You are all dismissed to your duties.” With that, Viktor turned heel and disappeared below deck.

The stares Yuuri received from the crew made his stomach turn to knots. Some looked at him in fear, others in disbelief, and a few with resentment as they helped Leo up. Yuuri didn’t blame them. The guilt was heavy, sitting like a rock in the pit of his gut. “I—I—“ he stuttered before looking to the ground and running after Viktor.

“I thought you didn’t want to be around me, Mr. Katsuki,” Viktor said, back facing the other man. Yuuri panted in the doorway of the captain’s cabin.

“W-Why?” Yuuri asked, choking on the words. “Why did you make me do that?”

“Why not?” Viktor said, settling down at his deck casually. “You said you’d do whatever I asked of you. Surely you didn’t expect it to be menial tasks forever.”

“N-No,” Yuuri stammered. “But that was just cruel! Inhumane! Why would you make me whip Leo over _apples?_ That’s absurd! You did that just to torment me, didn’t you?”

Viktor looked up. “And what if I did?” Viktor stood again, pacing over to Yuuri and making a slow circle around him. “Even if I decide to torture you, what will you do? We have an agreement, Mr. Katsuki. You are to do _anything_ I ask of you.” Viktor got close, fingers brushing the scabbed wound on Yuuri’s neck as he whispered in Yuuri’s ear, “If that includes inflicting a little pain, then so be it.”

Yuuri flushed indignantly, but he couldn’t say anything. He had indeed agreed to those terms, but he still felt disgusted with himself. He had expected all the pain to be inflicted on himself, but now he was torturing the crew due to his own foolish actions. His stomach turned to ice, and he glared at Viktor. The man was cruel.

Viktor smirked. “Any questions?”

“No,” Yuuri spat.

“Then you are dismissed.”

If only that was the worst of it.

Two days had passed since Yuuri had whipped Leo, and the crew was aloof. Not even Phichit or Chris dared to speak to Yuuri, and Yuuri received those same disgusted and fearful glances no matter where he went. His actions during the storm were forgotten in favor of his recent cruelty, and the crew members wanted nothing to do with him. Viktor, on the other hand, stuck to Yuuri like glue. He watched everything Yuuri did as he completed his duties, occasionally ordering him to complete some random task or another. Viktor would always stand too close, whispering in Yuuri’s ear. Each time Yuuri followed Viktor’s instructions, he was met with those words again: “Good boy.” Every time Viktor said it, Yuuri felt sick, remembering the horror of torturing Leo. It sat like a rock in the pit of his stomach, icy cold and guilty. He hated himself for being such a coward against Viktor.

That morning, though, two days after Leo’s whipping, Yuuri woke to a flurry of activity. The crew was muttering among themselves above deck, but Yuuri couldn’t ask anyone what was going on. Then he saw it himself: a ship. On the horizon, another ship sailed, but it was clear it wasn’t any navy or pirate ship. It was far too small, and judging by the look of it, it was a fishing vessel. Yuuri didn’t think much of it, assuming they would just sail past it and be on their way. However, that’s when Viktor arrived. The crew was silent, making way for the captain as he took a look himself.

Chris approached Viktor. “Don’t worry, it’s just fishermen. Nothing to worry about. We’ll alter our course slightly and miss them entirely.”

“No,” Viktor said suddenly. “Fly the colors.”

Chris was taken aback for a moment. “What? _Why?_ ”

Viktor smirked. “We’re going to raid that ship.”

The crew was baffled, looking at each other in confusion. Chris was the one to speak up again. “But, Captain, it’s just a fishing boat. They won’t have anything of value! Why should we—“

“Are you disobeying orders, Christophe?” Viktor fixed Chris with an intense stare.

Chris floundered for words for a moment before finally sighing in defeat. “As you wish, Captain, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.” Chris turned to the crew. “Fly the colors!” The crew seemed perplexed and unsure, still looking at each other in disbelief. Chris sighed again. “Did I stutter? Captain says to fly the colors! Get a move on!” The crew hesitantly dispersed, and Yuuri lingered behind, looking at Viktor uncertainly. What was he doing? Why was he pillaging a ship with nothing to pillage? It didn’t make any sense.

“Mr. Katsuki,” Viktor said suddenly, turning toward him. “Stay with me. You are to follow my instructions exactly and promptly as we raid this ship, do you understand?” Yuuri hesitantly nodded, and Viktor grinned wickedly. “ _Good boy_.”

The _Stammi Vicino_ flew its colors and approached the fishing boat, but it wasn’t really a battle. Fishing vessels weren’t designed to fight, so the crew didn’t bother with the cannons. They made preparations to board, and Yuuri had an uneasy feeling. Something about this wasn’t right. He followed the crew and boarded the smaller ship, but that feeling didn’t go away. The fishermen fought briefly, but they were outnumbered and overpowered. They were brought to their knees the way Yuuri and the crew of the _Eros_ had been, and Viktor and Yuuri boarded last.

Chris rushed to Viktor’s side. “Captain, we’ve inspected the holds. These men have nothing of value,” he said. “We’re wasting our time here.”

Viktor held up a hand to silence Chris, pacing around the deck and surveying the scared fishermen. He asked in a booming voice, “Which one of you is the captain of this vessel?” A petrified man shakily rose his hand, and Viktor said, “Bring him forward.” The crew seemed uneasy but did as told, Georgi and Seung-gil holding the man’s arms and bringing him before Viktor. Viktor looked the man up and down before of all things calling, “Mr. Katsuki! Come here.”

Yuuri had a sinking feeling. He cautiously approached Viktor. Viktor looked at him with a scary look in his eye. He pulled a knife from his jacket. “Take this,” he ordered. Yuuri felt panic flood through his veins as he did what he was told, taking the knife with trembling hands. “Come here,” Viktor coaxed Yuuri to stand in front of him, his back facing the captain. Viktor stood close, chin resting on Yuuri’s shoulder and cheek against Yuuri’s neck. He grazed his hand down Yuuri’s arm before gripping the hand that held the knife. Then, Viktor said the words. “Stab him.”

Yuuri froze completely. “What?” he asked disbelievingly.

“I said, _stab him_ ,” Viktor repeated, forcing Yuuri to hold up the knife.

Chris interjected, “Captain! I don’t see why—“

“To make an example!” Viktor shouted. “To make an example of what happens to those who cross me!”

“But these men have done nothing!” Chris argued. “They have nothing of value, and we boarded their ship without reason! You are condemning men for nothing!”

Viktor looked at Chris with a wild look in his eye. “I said, stab him, Mr. Katsuki,” he hissed again.

Yuuri was petrified, staring fearfully into the eyes of the terrified fisherman. He didn’t want to do this. He _couldn’t_ do this! This man was innocent! Yuuri only wanted one man dead, and it was the man currently forcing him to murder another man! Yuuri stammered, “N-No…”

“Excuse me?” Viktor growled.

“ _No!_ ” Yuuri shouted. “I won’t! I won’t kill this man for no reason!”

“Mr. Katuski,” Viktor said in a low tone, “Have you forgotten—?”

“I don’t care!” Yuuri screamed. “Screw this stupid arrangement! The deal was that you could do whatever you wanted with _me_ , not with the crew! Not with these men! I won’t do it! I won’t commit acts of cruelty for you!”

Viktor said nothing. He was stiff against Yuuri’s body, and Yuuri felt that familiar fear course through him. Viktor remained silent for several moments, and Yuuri was wondering what he’d do. Then, suddenly, with a sharp push, Viktor forced Yuuri’s hand to bury the knife into the fisherman’s stomach.

Yuuri stared in horror as the man coughed up blood, the red splattering against Yuuri’s face. There was a look of horror in the man’s eyes, and Yuuri was sure it was mirrored in his own. “No…” Yuuri whispered. “ _No!_ ” Yuuri sharply dug his elbow into Viktor’s diaphragm, forcing the man to reflexively release him. Yuuri lunged forward, catching the fisherman as Georgi and Seung-gil released him, allowing him to slump to the ground. “No, no, no…” Yuuri whispered, tears starting to well up in his eyes. “No! You weren’t supposed to die! I’m…” Yuuri choked back a sob. “I’m sorry!”

The fisherman stared blankly into Yuuri’s eyes. Yuuri realized too late that he was reaching for something.

A force pulled Yuuri back just in time for the fisherman’s knife to miss him. The man didn’t give up, though, and before anyone could react, he’d whirled around and buried the blade into Seung-gil’s chest. The man sputtered, dropping to his knees, and Georgi lunged forward to pull the fisherman away. It didn’t matter, though, as the fisherman slumped to the ground along with Seung-gil, both collapsing into pools of blood.

Yuuri screamed. He hardly registered that Viktor had been the one to pull him away from the fisherman, but that didn’t matter anyway. “Seung-gil!” Yuuri screamed, and the crew broke into uproar, releasing the helpless crew of the fishing vessel to rush to Seung-gil’s side. Viktor said nothing, holding Yuuri with a firm grip. Yuuri could only watch in horror as the two men bled out. Chris finally stood, trudging to Viktor and Yuuri with a grim expression. “He’s gone,” he said lowly.

Viktor seemed unfazed. “Back to the ship, then.”

Chris seemed incredulous. “But, Captain—“

“I _said_ , back to the ship. We have no further business here. Leave the bodies.”

Chris hesitated before sighing, calling out the order to the crew. The crew was in various stages of grief, and all seemed horrified by the command to leave Seung-gil’s body. They hesitantly did as told, though, returning to the _Stammi Vicino_. Viktor kept a hold on Yuuri’s waist as he walked him back across the plank to the ship, and Yuuri couldn’t speak. He couldn’t breathe. “Send it to the depths,” Viktor told Chris when they’d all made it back aboard their own ship. Yuuri looked at Viktor in shock.

Chris had a solemn, dark expression, saying nothing before ordering the crew to ready the cannons. All of them seemed disbelieving, asking why, but Chris allowed no arguments. The cannons were shot, and Yuuri could only watch in horror as the fishing ship and all of its men sank into the sea.

“Come with me,” Viktor said suddenly, and Yuuri got no chance to argue as he was dragged below deck by the wrist and brought to the captain’s cabin. Viktor released Yuuri in order to lock the door behind them. Yuuri was frozen. He had killed a man. He had been forced to, but it was his hand that drove the knife into the fisherman’s stomach. It was him the fisherman was trying to attack when he stabbed Seung-gil. Yuuri dropped to his knees. This was all his fault.

Viktor paced around Yuuri, watching him with a satisfied expression on his face as Yuuri melted into his own sorrow. He seemed to be intensely enjoying the display of grief. He stopped in front of Yuuri, and Yuuri was unable to fight the hands that cupped his face almost affectionately. “How does it feel?” Viktor asked after a while. “How does it feel to have blood on your hands?”

Yuuri was silent. He felt sick.

Suddenly, Viktor undid the buttons of his pants, and Yuuri stared uncomprehendingly at Viktor’s erect member. Yuuri couldn’t believe it. Viktor was… getting off on this? Had all of this pain and torment been some sick fantasy Viktor was playing out? Yuuri was disgusted and wanted to shove Viktor away, but Viktor said in a warning tone, “You said I could do anything I wanted to you. Need I remind you of just what I can do?”

Yuuri remembered the horrors he’d witnessed, tears rolling down his cheeks. He wordlessly opened his mouth, allowing Viktor to thrust inside. Yuuri didn’t do anything, merely keeping his mouth open and letting Viktor do as he wished. He hardly registered the gagging, simply staring blankly ahead and crying. Yuuri was a murderer. Viktor was sick and twisted, and Yuuri had his hardness in his mouth. Yuuri was sucking off the captain that had just made him _kill_ somebody. Yuuri was the scum of the earth.

Yuuri didn’t register it either when he felt that hotness splatter against the back of his throat. His stomach turned as the salty taste filled his mouth. He felt disgusting as Viktor pulled out, tucking himself back into his pants.

“Lay on the bed,” Viktor instructed, and Yuuri did as told. He didn’t care anymore. Let Viktor do what he wanted to Yuuri. Yuuri deserved it for his sins. However, Viktor didn’t strip Yuuri. He merely laid beside him, wrapping his arms around his body and pulling him close. Yuuri didn’t understand any of it. He just allowed it to happen, body stiff and cold as Viktor held him. “I do it all for you,” Viktor whispered. “I do it all so you’ll stay by my side.”

Yuuri didn’t get it. Why did Viktor want Yuuri by his side so badly? In what way did making Yuuri torture and kill people accomplish that? Yuuri didn’t understand, and the thoughts plagued his mind as Viktor drifted off, arms relaxing around Yuuri. Yuuri stayed there for a while, staring uncomprehendingly at the ceiling. It didn’t make sense. It didn’t make sense.

The light of day went dim, and Viktor still slept. Yuuri carefully extracted himself from the man, quietly leaving the room. He was sure Viktor woke from the sound of Yuuri unlocking the door, but he didn’t try to stop him. Yuuri trudged downstairs, and the crew all stared at him in disgust and hatred. Yuuri didn’t care. Let them hate him. Nobody could hate Yuuri as much as he hated himself right now.

Yuuri lied down in his hammock, staring blankly above. He had killed two men today. He had blood on his hands just like Viktor, and he didn’t even have a reason behind it. His crimes weren’t acts of passion or revenge. They were meaningless, senseless cruelty, and Yuuri felt appalled by his own weakness. If only he hadn’t been such a coward. If only he’d let Viktor flay him alive instead of making that stupid deal. Then Seung-gil and that fisherman would still be alive, and Yuuri would be dead like he deserved. He deserved to die. He did, and yet Yuuri felt fear in his gut at the prospect. He should’ve died, but he didn’t want to. Despite everything, he wanted to live. Why? Was it to kill Viktor? Somehow, that goal didn’t seem all that important anymore. Yuuri didn’t care if Viktor lived or died. He just wanted to be free of him.

Yuuri cried silently for hours in his hammock. Eventually, he drifted off to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yep. I warned ya.
> 
> Viktor is literally so fun to write because he's actually a madman. A very sadistic madman with a lot of power. Not a good combo. Poor Yuuri.
> 
> Anyway, I'm not so sure my updates will continue to be daily. I'm moving in the next month and starting a second job, so I'll be kinda busy packing and working. I'll try to keep my updates as frequent as I can, but it's getting hard to write due to stress ;A;
> 
> Please continue to let me know what you thing of this sick, twisted nonsense. Thanks for your continued support <3


	9. Mutiny

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri is awoken by Phichit to find that the crew is rebelling at last.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS CHAPTER IS A DOOZY SO GET READY-

Yuuri was woken by a hand over his mouth. Yuuri’s eyes shot wide, body tensing, but he was met with two dark, terrified eyes. “Phichit?” Yuuri tried to say, but the words were muffled.

“Shh!” Phichit said, looking around in terror. “Be quiet! We don’t have much time!”

Yuuri pried Phichit’s hand from his mouth, dropping his voice to a whisper. “Time for what?”

Yuuri had never seen Phichit look more scared, not even at the face of Viktor. “Mutiny.”

Yuuri froze. “What?”

“Mutiny! The crew is committing mutiny! They’re above deck right now, plotting to dispose of Viktor! They say he’s gone mad because of you and is going to sail us to our graves!” Phichit explained hurriedly.

Yuuri was confused. The crew was… rebelling against Viktor? Yuuri realized all at once what that meant. He had been right about the crew only following Viktor out of fear, but it seemed that they weren’t scared anymore. Viktor was being disposed of for his crimes. “Isn’t that a good thing?” Yuuri asked. “Viktor is a cruel and unjust man. Shouldn’t getting rid of him be of benefit to us?”

Phichit shook his head wildly. “No, no, no, Yuuri, you don’t understand. They think you’re loyal to him. They think all of this happened because of you.”

Yuuri paused. “What does that mean?”

“They’re planning to get rid of _you_ , too!”

Yuuri felt sick. The crew was planning on disposing of him for what Viktor had made him do. He was going to die. He was scared. He didn’t want to die, and yet… “I deserve it,” he whispered, curling in on himself. “I hurt Leo. I killed that man and Seung-gil. I deserve to die.”

“Yuuri, so help me, this is not the time for a mental breakdown! Wallow in your grief later, I’m getting you out of here!” Phichit exclaimed in a hushed voice.

Yuuri shook his head. “But how?”

“The escape boats. I’ve already started lowering one. If you go now and keep quiet, you might be able to get away. Sneak upstairs, but be silent. The crew is going to get Viktor soon.” Yuuri nodded and Phichit gave him a teary smile. “I’m sorry for what I said. I should’ve known that bastard was manipulating you from the start.” Phichit pulled Yuuri into a tight hug before releasing him with a stern expression. “Now, go! Quickly!”

Yuuri nodded, tears welling up in his own eyes. He swiftly got out of his hammock and scurried toward the stairs, taking care to be silent as he climbed them. He got to the level where the captain’s cabin was. When he heard voices coming his way, he quickly dove behind some barrels, allowing the crew bearing lamps and weapons to pass him. When they were gone, Yuuri hurried upstairs, looking left and right to make sure the coast was clear. He quickly made his way to the escape boat that Phichit had prepared to lower, climbing inside. Yuuri then heard a commotion and flattened himself in the boat, peering over the side toward the noise.

Viktor was dragged on deck by the crew. To Yuuri’s shock and horror, they wasted no time beating him. Viktor was held by Georgi and Yuri as Leo punched him over and over. Yuuri could only watch as Viktor’s mouth started to bleed, and the man grinned at his mutinous crew. They apparently didn’t like that, though, as Viktor was pushed to the ground and kicked. Yuuri had never seen Viktor look as small as he did then, curled in on himself as he was kicked and beaten from all sides. Yuuri got so horrifically entranced by the display, he didn’t realize what he was doing until Michele came barreling upstairs and shouted that Yuuri was gone.

The crew froze, looking at each other, and Viktor started laughing. That’s when Yuuri realized the man was looking him in the eyes. “It seems a little mouse is trying to get away,” Viktor said.

Yuuri didn’t have time to react as the crew turned toward him. They broke into uproar, and Yuuri realized with a sinking feeling that he’d lost his chance. He was grabbed by two members of the crew and dragged to where Viktor was. He glared at Viktor for giving him away, and Viktor simply smirked back at him. Then, Yuuri looked helplessly to Phichit and Chris, but they simply stared at him with pity. Yuuri realized that they were powerless to stop the crew, but he couldn’t help the icy feeling of betrayal welling up inside of him. He was alone.

Yuuri expected to be mercilessly beaten, but instead, Yuri Plisetsky walked up to him, a fire Yuuri had never seen before in his eyes. “You,” he hissed. “You’re a coward. Loyal to a man like Viktor because you’re too scared to fight back, and now so frightened you tried to run from your fate. Well, no more! No more running away! Face your fate like a man, piglet!” Yuri punched Yuuri, and Yuuri tasted metal. “Hold him there! Make him watch as we beat his precious owner!”

Yuuri couldn’t help but grimace at the term “owner,” but that wasn’t what was at the forefront of his mind right now. Instead, he was focused on the brutal beating he was witnessing as the crew laid into Viktor again. He screamed on reflex as Viktor coughed up more blood, and he was struck on the side of the head. Yuuri’s vision started going in and out after the hit, and he could only watch as his consciousness faded out as Viktor was tied to the mast, a whip being handed to Leo. “No,” Yuuri tried to whisper as he blacked out.

When Yuuri awoke, he was tied to the main mast. He struggled in the ropes, but it was no use. He looked around, and the crew were going about their duties like nothing had happened. Yuuri couldn’t believe them, just tying him up and then acting like he wasn’t there after making him watch them beat Viktor to death! There was a certain ridiculousness to it all. Was Viktor dead, then? Yuuri figured he must have been until he heard a groan and snapped his head to the left to find Viktor next to him, heavily bruised and unconscious. Some part of Yuuri was relieved despite everything, and he hissed, “Viktor! Viktor, wake up!”

Viktor groggily blinked awake, apparently still a light sleeper even when beaten unconscious. “Yuuri…?” he mumbled, and Yuuri was surprised to hear his given name.

“Yes, it’s me. You’ve been mutinied against, Viktor.”

Viktor slowly looked around, taking in the ropes and the crew ignoring them. “Ah. So it seems I have,” he said as if it was a normal occurrence.

Yuuri was going to lose his mind. “How can you be so casual about this? They’re going to kill us!” he exclaimed.

Viktor rolled his eyes. “No, they’re not.”

Viktor seemed awfully sure about that. “How do you know?” Yuuri asked suspiciously.

“Well, for one, we’re still alive,” Viktor said matter-of-factly. “If they were going to kill us, they would have tortured us to death already.” Yuuri shuddered at the thought. “And the other thing is that it would be against the code.”

Yuuri raised an eyebrow. “Code?” he asked.

Viktor nodded. “Aye. The Pirates’ Code.”

“Since when is there a _code_ to piracy?”

“Well, we probably wouldn’t all meet peacefully in Tortuga if there wasn’t a code keeping us from just pillaging each other’s ships!” Viktor laughed, of all things. “But yes, there’s a code, and in that code, it states that any captain facing mutiny is to be marooned on a deserted island with a single pistol containing one shot. From there, it’s up to him if he wants to shoot himself or starve to death.”

Yuuri raised an eyebrow. “That seems awfully convoluted. Why would pirates follow that?”

Viktor shrugged. “Because it’s the code. Anyway, we’re most likely being taken to a deserted island to be stranded as we speak. I hope you like sand in every crevice you have.”

Yuuri was getting annoyed by Viktor’s nonchalant attitude. “Why are you being so calm about this? We’re still going to die!”

Viktor chuckled darkly. “Well, to tell the truth, it had to happen eventually. Pirate captains aren’t like kings; we don’t take the throne after our father passes. That’s what happened to me, though, so really, it was only a matter of time before the crew decided they’d had enough of me and chose someone else.”

Yuuri frowned. Viktor did have a point. It was strange that Viktor had inherited pirate ship. Yuuri just wished he didn’t have to be involved with any of it. Speaking of, he growled. “You’re a bastard. I can’t believe you gave me up when I was trying to escape!”

“I can’t believe _you_ were going to leave me to my death alone! And here I thought we had a bond.”

Yuuri was incredulous. “You’ve tortured me, forced yourself upon me, and forced me to kill someone. Why would I die to be with _you?_ ”

Viktor laughed. “I’ve grown on you and you know it!”

Yuuri rolled his eyes. “You’re unbelievable!”

The two spent a few more hours in the sun in silence because Yuuri refused to speak to Viktor. The man was truly unbelievable, acting as if Yuuri had any sort of attachment toward him after what he’d done. However, as the sun peaked overhead, the crew gathered around Viktor and Yuuri wearing smug expressions. Yuri stepped forward, looking down at them with disgust. “A madman and a coward,” he spat. “We’re doing the world a favor by getting rid of _you_. Untie them!” Viktor and Yuuri were untied from the mast and dragged over to the side of the boat. Yuuri looked out and saw that there was land a little ways away, and to his horror, a plank of wood had been nailed to the railing. Yuuri couldn’t believe he was actually going to walk the plank. He’d always figured that detail only existed in stories.

Viktor and Yuuri were brought before the plank. Yuri stood by it, arms crossed. “Viktor Nikiforov,” he said, loathing dripping from the name as it left his mouth. “For your madness and endangerment of this crew, you are being marooned on this island. As is custom, you will be provided with one pistol with a single shot. Georgi, give him the pistol.” Georgi came forward, handing Viktor a single pistol.

Viktor looked at the weapon curiously. “Shouldn’t we be getting two pistols since there’s two of us?” he asked.

Yuri sneered. “The code only applies to pirates. The pig is not a pirate, and therefore we will not follow the code for him. You will get one pistol and one shot only. Now,” Yuri stepped aside. “Walk the plank!” he commanded.

Viktor was brought to the plank, but not much coaxing was necessary. He stepped up onto it and walked to the very edge before turning around, grinning at the crew that was previously his. “Send my regards to the navy,” he said before falling backward and plunging into the sea.

Yuuri watched him with disbelief. Why was Viktor able to face his fate so bravely? Shouldn’t he have been scared of death? No, Yuuri realized, he wouldn’t be because if Viktor feared death, he would have disposed of Yuuri a long time ago. Yuuri was so caught in his thoughts, he barely heard the call of, “Now the pig!” from Yuri until he was being dragged onto the plank himself. Yuuri slowly walked to the end and trembled as he looked down at the sea and out at the island. He was going to die, and he was going to die with _Viktor_. It seemed far too ironic to Yuuri. He turned to the crew and begged, “Please. You don’t have to do this. I’m not loyal to him!”

It was Leo who stepped forward, his lip curled. “Tell that to my scars,” he spat before stomping on the plank of wood. Yuuri lost his balance, and with a scream, he fell into the sea. Yuuri heard the hoots and laughter above him as he began to splash in the water. He couldn’t get back on the ship, so he had no choice but to start swimming for land. He swam, and the _Stammi Vicino_ set sail, disappearing into the horizon. By the time Yuuri reached the sand, collapsing from exhaustion, the ship was gone.

Yuuri stared at where the ship had disappeared. It was gone. His last hope before death was gone. Yuuri felt weak. He… He was going to die here.

“Oh, don’t look so glum,” Viktor said, plopping down in the sand beside Yuuri. He retrieved a flask from his shirt, offering it to Yuuri. “Rum?”

Yuuri stared at it and then Viktor incredulously. Then, with anger. “ _You…_ ” he growled.

“Me?” Viktor said with a raised eyebrow before Yuuri tackled him, pummeling the other man with punches. Viktor shouted, using his greater body mass to throw Yuuri off of him into the sand. “Will you stop that?” Viktor shouted.

Yuuri pointed an accusing finger at him. “You, you fucking bastard! You did this to me! You’re the reason I’m going to die!”

Viktor shrugged as if it was not his problem. “We’re both going to die. I don’t see a point in fighting about it.” Yuuri realized again that they were, in fact, going to _die_ and slumped to the sand again, letting out a loud sob. Viktor sighed, trudging over to Yuuri and placing something in the sand beside him. “Here,” he said.

Yuuri looked at what it was and was shocked to find it to be the pistol they’d been given. He grabbed it, looking at it as if he didn’t believe it was real. Then, he looked at Viktor. “Why?” he asked.

Viktor smirked, holding his arms out. “The way I see it, we’re dead men no matter what. No matter how we go, we’re going to die, and so my final wish is to play one last game with you.”

Yuuri furrowed his brow. “Game?”

Viktor grinned wickedly. “Yes, a game. See, we’re both going to die either by that gun or by thirst. The latter would be the worse way to go, being driven to madness by dehydration. The bullet would be much quicker. However, that leaves you with a final choice:” Viktor stood with his feet wide apart and his arms open. “Whether or not you choose to shoot me.”

Yurui was confused. “What?”

Viktor laughed. “Don’t you see? This is your last chance to get revenge. I either die by that gun or by natural causes, and it’s your choice which it is. However, you have to choose then between your long sought after revenge and an easy way out. If you kill me, you’ll have avenged your family and yourself just like you wanted, but you’ll be the one to die of thirst. You understand now?”

Yuuri did understand, and he stared at the gun blankly. The pistol had one shot. He had to choose between ending his suffering early and ending Viktor by his own hand. He had no other weapons, and the other man would simply overpower Yuuri if he tried to strangle him again. Yuuri really had to make the choice: himself or Viktor?

Yuuri stared at the gun for a long time, and Viktor huffed in amusement. “Indecisive, eh? Not surprising, given the stakes. Take your time. We aren’t going anywhere.”

Said decision was not made in a day. Yuuri thought about it until the sun set and still hadn’t come closer to an answer. Him or Viktor? Revenge or an easy out? This was literally as matter of life and death, so Yuuri thought over his options good and well. He still made no decisions. The thing was, it was a matter of his character. Not that he’d be evil for killing Viktor, though—as Yuuri figured it, blood was already on his hands and there was no going back from that now. It was a matter of his cowardice. Yuri had said it over and over on the ship that Yuuri was a coward, and he was right. Yuuri had allowed all of this to happen because he was afraid of Viktor. He’d been forced into submission, had given up his very dignity and soul to Viktor out of fear. Now, Yuuri wasn’t afraid of Viktor anymore. Viktor had no weapons, no crew, and no power. There wasn’t anything he could do to Yuuri that hadn’t already been done. However, Yuuri did fear death. He feared never waking up, never seeing the light of day again, and that’s what made this decision so hard. He was going to die no matter what, and he couldn’t wrap his head around that. He was going to _die_. The matter wasn’t of life and death, after all. It was simply of death. Yuuri was deeply afraid to die. That fear was so consuming, it made choosing whether or not to kill Viktor seem even more impossible. On one hand, Yuuri craved his vengeance. Viktor had ruined him in almost every way possible, and his father had ruined him before that. Their wicked lineage deserved to die with Viktor, and this was Yuuri’s final chance to accomplish that. However, if he did, that would mean that Yuuri would die a slow and painful death, and the prospect terrified him almost more than the idea of being unable to avenge himself.

As night fell, Yuuri still sat, staring at the pistol in his hand. Viktor settled beside Yuuri in the sand. “For someone who wants me dead so badly,” Viktor said, “you sure are having a hard time with deciding whether or not to kill me.”

Yuuri shot him a glare. “It’s more complicated than that and you know it.”

Viktor shrugged. “I don’t think so. It’s only difficult if you fear death.” He leaned closer to Yuuri then, a wicked smirk on his face. “But you do fear death, don’t you? That’s why you did exactly what I said on the ship.” Viktor’s hand went to Yuuri’s cheek, caressing it. “I have to wonder, though, was that the only reason?”

Yuuri slapped Viktor’s hand away. “Yes,” he spat. “That’s the only reason.”

Viktor shrugged. “If you hated me so much, you would have shot me already. That’s all I’m saying.”

Yuuri slammed the pistol down against the sand, turning toward Viktor. “That is _not_ why I’m struggling! I hate you with every inch of my being. You have tortured me, defiled me, and your father was responsible for my family’s fate! _I hate you!_ ”

Viktor grinned. “You still haven’t forgotten about my father? Surprising, considering everything I’ve done to outshine his cruelty. I’d think you’d hate me for more than that now.”

“I _do_ hate you for more than that. Your father is just the cherry on top of my hatred.”

Viktor laid back in the sand, then, arms crossed behind his head. “You place of a lot of the blame for my father’s actions on me. That’s funny, considering how he treated me.”

Yuuri paused. “What do you mean?”

Viktor smirked. “Why, are you interested in my past now?”

Yuuri turned his nose up. “No!” He thought about it. “…A little.”

Viktor laughed. “I knew I’d grown on you.”

Yuuri flushed red. “No you haven’t! I just want to know more about the man who did _that_ to my mother and sister, that’s all!”

Viktor huffed. “Well, it’s not a pretty story.” He sat up, facing Yuuri. “I was born to a pretty barmaid my father fancied. Well, I say ‘fancied,’ but he had a reputation of spending months on land with women and then casting them aside as soon as he grew bored of them. That’s what he did with my mother. Actually, it was quite similar to what he did to _your_ mother. He stayed with her long enough to get her pregnant then disappeared, leaving behind his gambling debts. Luckily, my mother came from a slightly more prosperous family than yours, and she was able to avoid getting us evicted from our home despite the debt. We had little to eat, but she was a kind woman. For five years, I was in her care, and those were the best five years of my life. However,” Viktor laughed bitterly, “my father had another reputation as well: raiding the very towns he spent his time in. He came back, just as he came back to your town, and sought my mother. Her fate was grim when she refused to board his ship, but mine was worse. When my father saw me, he realized how similar I looked to him. See, he hadn’t known my mother was with child, but as soon as he laid eyes on me, he knew I was his.

“I was brought aboard the _Stammi Vicino_. It was a different crew back then, a much less amicable one. My father ran a tight ship, and after the raid was over, we set sail. I hated my father for what he did to my mother, but he saw some sort of potential in me despite that. I wish I could say that meant he took me in, showed me the ropes, and taught me to be the captain I became. That would be a lie. He left me to the care of the crew, and they weren’t kind people. I was beaten, forced to do the worst work aboard the ship, and given little to eat. I was treated as a dead weight and was forced to prove my worth from a young age. Eventually, when I turned fifteen, my father began to speak to me. All of those years he had simply treated me as another member of the crew, but on my fifteenth birthday, he called me to his cabin. He told me I was to become captain upon his passing, and I refused. I wanted to go home more than anything, even if that meant being an urchin in the streets. My father then gave me this,” Viktor pulled up his sleeve, revealing a “P” branded into his forearm. “The mark of a pirate. Normally, the navy brands you with it when you’re captured and sentenced, but my father placed it upon me himself to seal my fate. Once I was given this mark, I had no choice but to become a pirate. Nobody in any port town would allow someone branded a pirate to work for them, so I no longer had a shot at life away from the sea. My father condemned me to my fate.” Viktor paused.

“After that,” he continued, “I started getting more attention from my father, but it wasn’t kind. He forced me to learn the ways of a captain, subjecting me to beatings and whippings if I were to disobey. I was trapped, powerless, and most of all, I hated my father with all of my being. I never imagined that someone else might feel the same way,” he laughed, peering at Yuuri. “Eleven years passed. We raided towns and pillaged ships, and eventually I accepted my fate. I became the first mate after the original attempted and failed at mutiny. I was in charge of the crew, which gradually became replaced with the one you knew. I treated them as my father did, unrelenting and cruel. I left no room for rebellion, and the crew grew to accept me as a leader. We returned to a town we had pillaged years before, and I suspect that perhaps that was the town you came from as we seldom visited the same place more than twice, especially after wreaking havoc upon it. We visited that one four times, though, so it must have been your home or you never would have been able to find us to follow us. My father had grown ill by the last time we visited that port. He seemed to have a strange attachment to it, so he wanted to see it one last time before his passing. After we set sail for the last time, he commanded that we board a navy ship, and while we won the battle, he didn’t come out unscathed. Between his declining health and the wounds, my father finally died, and I became captain as was my destiny. I named Chris first mate, as he had shown me the most sympathy in those years, and for those two years, the crew was loyal to me, albeit out of fear.

“Then, one day, we discovered we were being followed. The _Eros_ was gaining on us, and I had no idea why. It wasn’t a navy ship, so what business did the ship have attacking us? Regardless, the _Eros_ was outgunned. We boarded, and out of curiosity, I asked who the captain was. I wanted to make an example of him, although I was also curious as to his reasoning. However, to my surprise, someone else spoke up: you.” Viktor smirked. “You were always full of surprises. As soon as I laid eyes on you, I had a feeling. I had a feeling that our destinies were intertwined somehow, so I brought you aboard the _Stammi Vicino_ and sent the _Eros_ to the depths. I wanted to know your reasoning, so I made that false deal with you to get the information I desired. I’m sure you knew it was a farce from the beginning, but it seemed that your hatred for me outweighed your common sense, and you agreed. I knew you wanted me dead, but what you didn’t know was that I never intended to kill you. I kept you aboard my ship, fully intending on you becoming a member of the crew. However,” Viktor’s eyes grew dark, “you were always full of surprises. I grew… _fond_ of you. I began to see potential, potential that was so familiar because my father had seen it in me. I decided that you would be the next captain of the _Stammi Vicino_ , and so I began to subject you to your intended fate.”

Yuuri was frozen. “What?” he asked disbelievingly.

Viktor laughed. “Your ears are not mistaken. You were my intended successor. I know that may sound impossible, but you had the passion for it. You were hardened by cruelty and fueled by hatred, and you had the skills. I sought to develop your potential. However…” Viktor smirk dropped. “I lost sight. I realize that now. I lost sight of my goal because of _you_. You, always so tempting.” Viktor leaned closer. “So full of surprises. You enraptured me, and I became obsessed. I changed goals. I stopped trying to make the crew like you and instead focused on isolating you from them. Isolating you so that you could only turn to _me_ ,” Viktor reached out, holding Yuuri’s hand tightly with a wild look in his eye. “Don’t you understand?” he whispered. “You’re mine. You were always meant to be mine, and that’s why I knew we were meant to share a fate the day I met you. I could sense it. That’s why I brought you here with me. That way we can live the rest of our lives together. That way we can _die_ together.”

Yuuri felt a familiar fear course through him at the look in Viktor’s eye and tried to pull his hand away, but Viktor held it tightly. Yuuri felt trapped as the man scooted closer, looming over him with that mad look in his eye. Yuuri shook his head. “N-No,” he stammered. “I’m not yours. I was never yours!” he shouted in Viktor’s face.

Viktor seemed unfazed, smirking. “That’s not what you said when you pledged allegiance to me that night. Yuuri, Yuuri, Yuuri,” Viktor’s hands moved suddenly, wrapping around Yuuri’s throat. Yuuri couldn’t react as he was pushed to the sand, Viktor straddling him. Yuuri’s couldn’t breathe. “I could still do it,” Viktor said lowly. “I could end you at any moment, but I won’t.” Those hands loosened their grip. “Yuuri, everything I’ve done has been for _you_. I did it for your own good, for _our_ own good. Yuuri,” Viktor caressed Yuuri’s face, a wicked smile on his face. “ _I love you_.”

Yuuri didn’t think. He threw his weight to the side, flinging Viktor off of him. He got up, and he _ran_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Viktor, you crazy son of a bitch.
> 
> But yeah, now what? Are Viktor and Yuuri going to die on this island, right after Viktor proclaimed his obsessio- I mean, love? What now?
> 
> Stay tuned ;-) This fic is kinda crazy and twisted, and I'm greatly enjoying writing it. Thank you for the continued support, and please let me know what you think! <3


	10. Peace

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri tries to cope with the proclamation of Viktor's love as well as decide his fate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for your patience! This fic is slowly reaching its end, as I think I might have figured out an ending for it. I won't remove the Major Character Death tag yet, though. I want it to be a surprise.

_Viktor loved him_.

Yuuri kept running through the sand with no idea where he was going. The island wasn’t very big, so he couldn’t exactly get far, but he got as far from Viktor as he could before slumping down in the sand and holding his head in his hands. Viktor loved him. Viktor _loved_ him. No matter how many times Yuuri repeated it to himself, it didn’t seem real. It was impossible. People didn’t treat their loved ones like _that_. People didn’t threaten death and inflict torture upon those they loved. Viktor was a liar, or at the very least, very good at convincing himself of something that wasn’t true. The more Yuuri thought about it, the more he realized it was probably the latter. That crazed look in Viktor’s eye wasn’t a farce, and there was no benefit to lying about something like that now. Viktor truly believed he loved Yuuri, but Yuuri knew it was part of the ex-captain’s growing madness.

However, that was even more terrifying than Viktor lying. Viktor’s “love” was a frightening one. He’d whipped Yuuri over refusing to have dinner with him. He’d forced himself upon Yuuri multiple times. He’d made Yuuri harm others in order to isolate him. The more Yuuri thought about it, the more it all made sense. Viktor did those things out of what he thought was love. He wanted to keep Yuuri all to himself, so he abused him into submission. Yuuri knew love was not the culprit; it was obsession, but regardless of the name, Viktor was consumed by it. Yuuri had seen it himself. He had seen the man gradually grow crueler and more attached to Yuuri. What had started as curiosity had morphed into another monster entirely, and Yuuri was suffering the brunt of it. _Viktor loved him_.

But… it didn’t even matter, did it?

Yuuri laid back in the sand. He was so consumed by his fear of Viktor’s passion that he’d almost forgotten that they were going to die anyway. There wasn’t much more Viktor could do to him. Maybe force himself upon Yuuri one last time, but that was it. Viktor had no power now. He had no way of forcing Yuuri to be his except physically, and Yuuri took solace in that fact. He wasn’t Viktor’s toy. He would never belong to Viktor.

Yuuri hadn’t even noticed the footsteps heading toward him until something plopped into the sand beside him. Yuuri glanced to find the pistol once again at his side. He looked up to find Viktor giving him a heavy look. “You still have a choice to make,” he said before turning and leaving Yuuri alone once more.

Yuuri didn’t make a choice. He remembered Viktor’s words over and over, his story and his proclamation of love and his claim that Yuuri would choose his fate. Something about that last part didn’t make much sense. Why exactly did Viktor want Yuuri to decide his fate? He had claimed it was because he wanted to play one last game with Yuuri, but with Viktor’s confession in mind, Yuuri doubted that. Viktor wanted to possess Yuuri. The man craved control, so why’d he give it up to Yuuri at the last moment? Yuuri didn’t know.

He fell asleep on that thought, waking hours and hours later to the sun beating down on him. It was horribly hot, and Yuuri realized how dry his tongue was with a feeling of dread. There was no fresh water on the tiny piece of land. Yuuri was going to quickly dehydrate to death at this rate. He needed to make his decision about Viktor fast.

Without thinking, Yuuri pulled himself up and trudged off to find Viktor. He wasn’t sure why, but he needed to see the man right now. “Viktor!” Yuuri shouted.

“No need to yell, dear,” Viktor said, walking toward Yuuri from further inland. His normally pulled back hair was down, shining silver in the sunlight.

“Viktor,” Yuuri panted. He felt a strange relief at seeing the other man. “I’m already getting dehydrated,” he said.

“So?” Viktor replied, tilting his head. “Have you made a decision then?”

Yuuri glared at Viktor and said, “You could be a little less casual about the prospect of your own death.”

“Why? I don’t fear death the way you do, Yuuri. I’m not scared.”

Yuuri threw up his hands. “Well, it doesn’t exactly feel like vengeance for me to shoot a man who isn’t scared to die!”

Viktor shrugged. “Sorry to disappoint, darling. That proclamation sounds as if you’ve made a choice, though. You’re going to end yourself, then?”

Yuuri paused. He thought about it. He thought about pressing that pistol against his temple and shuddered. “I… I need more time to think,” he stammered.

Viktor chuckled. “Well, you better think fast, or neither of us will live to be shot!” He laughed as if that was the funniest thing in the world. Yuuri rolled his eyes. He couldn’t believe he was going to die with this man.

Yuuri sat in the sand, though, and thought. Viktor didn’t care if he died, and Yuuri had no way of inflicting a painful end upon the man as vengeance. Really, then, shooting him wouldn’t really be revenge, now would it? That meant that it made more sense for Yuuri to forfeit the revenge plan and instead shoot himself before he could go mad with thirst. However, the more Yuuri thought about that, the more his stomach turned. Shakily, he brought the pistol up to his temple. He had to do it. His finger twitched over the trigger. He had to shoot himself now or else his death would be a suffering one. Yuuri was scared, though. He didn’t want to die! He didn’t want it to end, not here, not like this! He didn’t want to die with the man who had done all of that to him! It didn’t matter if it was quick or slow, _Yuuri didn’t want to die!_

Yuuri dropped the pistol in the sand and buried his face in his hands. He couldn’t help the tears that welled up in his eyes. He was going to die anyway, but he couldn’t do it. He didn’t have the courage to end himself when he wanted to live so badly. Death would have to pry his life from his hands itself. Yuuri refused to enact it.

“You can’t do it,” Viktor said suddenly, sitting in the sand beside Yuuri. Yuuri said nothing back, and Viktor sighed. “Your cowardice used to be of great advantage to me, but now I fear that it’s putting you in more peril than necessary.”

Yuuri snapped, “Why is wanting to live considered _cowardice?_ ”

Viktor turned toward him, snapping back, “Because you don’t have a _choice!_ You’re choosing a painful end for no reason!”

Yuuri threw his hands up. “Well, I’m not going to end myself before I have to, and there’s no revenge to be had in killing you now. So that’s that!”

Suddenly, there was something pressed against Yuuri’s temple. Yuuri slowly turned his head, and the point of the pistol became pressed to his forehead. A tear escaped Yuuri’s eye, and he whispered, “Why?”

Viktor shook his head. “I won’t let your fear govern your choices again. You said you won’t end yourself early, so do you want me to do it for you?”

Yuuri shook his head wildly. “ _No!_ I…” he hiccupped. “I just want to live my last days, even if they’re short.”

Viktor slowly dropped the gun, placing it in the sand and letting it go. He turned away, facing the sea. He was quiet for a moment before saying, “If that’s your choice, then so be it.”

Yuuri was confused. “Aren’t you going to use it on yourself, then?” Yuuri asked. “It’s still the easy way out.”

Viktor smirked, giving Yuuri a sidelong glance. “I just want to live my last days, even if they’re short, _with you_.”

Yuuri felt a strange sensation well up within him. He didn’t necessarily want to be with Viktor on his deathbed, but the idea of going mad from thirst alone admittedly terrified him. As ironic as it was, Yuuri was… _glad_ that Viktor was here with him.

Yuuri turned back out toward the sea, too. “Then so be it.”

The day passed in silence, and Yuuri and Viktor just watched the waves. Yuuri focused on everything around him while he still had his senses. He focused on the blue of the sky, the salty smell of the breeze, the sand between his toes. The heat was horrible, but Yuuri just rested his feet in the path of the cool tide and relaxed. There was nothing else now. There was nothing left to strive for. Yuuri just allowed himself to bask in that peace, even as his skin grew sunburnt and his lips dried. He simply focused on the sound of the waves.

Sunset came, painting the sky beautiful colors. Yuuri didn’t think he’d ever seen a sunset as beautiful as this one, but had he even really been looking? All of those years, Yuuri had only thought of his hatred and vengeance. He had never stopped to enjoy quiet moments like this one. A thousand sunsets like this one could have occurred, and he never would have seen the colors before now. It seemed ironic, only seeing beauty when he was about to die, but Yuuri was glad to have witnessed it before it was too late.

Yuuri looked at Viktor. The man was in similar condition to him, skin red and lips cracked. His blue eyes were fixed on the sunset, though, and those colors seemed to reflect in his silver hair. In that moment, for the very first time, Yuuri actually thought Viktor looked beautiful, and just then, for that moment, Yuuri decided he could ignore the ugly parts of the man’s heart.

“Want a drink?” Viktor asked after a while, offering Yuuri his flask. Yuuri had nothing to lose, so he took it, taking a few swigs. It was foul tasting and not at all satisfying to his thirst, but it made Yuuri’s stomach feel warm and his head a little fuzzy. He liked it. He handed the flask back to Viktor, and the other man took a few drinks from it as well. They continued passing it back and forth until it was empty, and then Viktor pocketed it again. “Ah, it feels good to drink one last time,” Viktor said. “Pity I don’t have more on me.”

“That’ll do,” Yuuri said, words a little bit slurred. He wasn’t nearly as drunk as he had been at Tortuga, but he was a little tipsy from the potent alcohol.

Viktor peered at Yuuri with amusement. “You really are a lightweight,” he teased.

“Am not,” Yuuri denied, but he hiccupped. Viktor laughed.

“Be grateful,” Viktor said. “I would love to be drunk right now.”

Yuuri gave Viktor a raised eyebrow. “What happened to not fearing death?” he asked.

“Not fearing it doesn’t make it pleasant,” Viktor pointed out. “Besides, there’s just something beautiful about being a little drunk on a beach with someone pretty.” Yuuri realized the pretty person was _him_ and flushed.

“I will admit, the sunset does look lovely,” Yuuri said, staring at the almost sunken light. It was dim now, the colors deeper. Yuuri really had never seen such a lovely sight.

“Yes, lovely indeed,” Viktor agreed. It took a moment, but Yuuri noticed that Viktor hadn’t taken his eyes off of him.

“You’re quite a flatterer,” Yuuri joked. “Must get that killer charm from your father!” Yuuri frowned as soon as the words left his mouth. He hadn’t meant to interrupt the nice moment with such a dark topic.

Viktor didn’t seem to mind, though. “Yes. I must look a lot like him now. Sometimes I wonder why you haven’t tried to cut off my face.”

Yuuri huffed. “I _did_ try.” Without thinking, Yuuri’s hand went to Viktor’s cheek, fingers brushing the scar where Yuuri had cut him with the knife during his nighttime assassination attempt. That felt so long ago…

Viktor eyed Yuuri, catching the hand with his own and pressing it more firmly to his cheek. “Indeed you did.”

The two were silent for a few moments. Yuuri wasn’t sure what to say, but Viktor was looking at him expectantly. He looked back. Viktor’s eyes were so incredibly blue under the growing moonlight. Yuuri had so long attached that blueness to his hatred for Nikolai that he’d never stopped to consider the beauty of the intense color. Right now, though, the past seemed incredibly far away. Everything that Nikolai and Viktor had done, it all seemed to be remnants of a long forgotten past. Another life, even. All that was left of this life were these moments on the beach with Viktor. Viktor, who Yuuri now realized was so incredibly beautiful.

Viktor leaned in to meet Yuuri when Yuuri pressed that kiss against his lips. Yuuri thought about everything and nothing at the same time. He considered if he wanted to do this after everything Viktor had done, and he decided that it didn’t matter. All that mattered was how he chose to spend these last days with Viktor, who would be there whether Yuuri liked it or not. As Viktor’s tongue swiped into Yuuri’s mouth, he decided that he liked it.

There was no force this time. No desperation, no brutality, nothing like the other times. This time is was slow and patient. Viktor reached to pull Yuuri closer, cupping Yuuri’s face between his hands before allowing one hand to slip down to his waist. Yuuri pressed himself closer, somehow craving the warmth of Viktor’s touch despite the already warm temperatures. Yuuri’s hands tangled in that long hair, gently tugging with exploration. He allowed Viktor to pull them down and roll them over, hovering over Yuuri again in the sand. Last time they’d been in this position, Yuuri had been scared, but this time he relaxed. Basked in it, even. He let Viktor unbutton his shirt as he kissed down Yuuri’s neck and chest and stomach. He never let go of that hair, especially when Viktor coaxed Yuuri’s trousers down his hips and wrapped his lips around Yuuri’s member. Yuuri shouted, but with pleasure rather than pain as Viktor began expertly bobbing his head up and down Yuuri’s length. Yuuri’s fingers tangled in Viktor’s hair desperately, thighs clenching around the other man’s head. It felt good, and it felt even better to allow himself to feel how good it was. The first time, it hadn’t felt good due to the circumstances, and the second, Yuuri had been too drunk to enjoy it. Now, he was perfectly buzzed, relaxing into Viktor’s touches of his chest. He moaned at the way Viktor pinched his nipples while continuing to suck Yuuri’s member. Yuuri felt something wonderful building up inside of him, like a hot coil waiting to be let loose. It finally happened, and Yuuri thrust his hips upward into Viktor’s mouth as he came, reaching a high he had never experienced before. It was like an explosion of pleasure, and Yuuri had never felt anything so intense.

Yuuri slumped down, panting hard as it began to recede, unable to move. Viktor pressed kisses up Yuuri’s body until he got back to his lips, and Yuuri didn’t even care about the salty taste on Viktor’s tongue. He felt so good right now, it didn’t matter. Viktor fished a familiar vial from his pocket, and Yuuri spread his legs without even thinking about it. He wanted it. This time, he well and truly wanted it as Viktor slicked up his fingers and pressed one into Yuuri. It was uncomfortable at first, but Viktor was nothing like he had been the first time. He took his time fingering Yuuri open, slowly and carefully stroking to find that spot that made Yuuri quickly grow hard again. Yuuri clutched Viktor closer as three fingers moved in and out of him, curling to hit that spot. The moans poured out of Yuuri’s mouth, and Yuuri couldn’t even be bothered to feel ashamed. It all felt too good. He almost whined as Viktor removed his fingers, but that feeling of emptiness didn’t last long as something bigger pressed against his entrance. Yuuri was ready for it, wrapping his legs around Viktor’s waist. He wanted it. In his final days, he wanted this. He wanted the pleasure of sharing another’s warmth. As it pressed into him, Yuuri let out a long sigh. It was tight, but it wasn’t painful, and after a few moments of adjustment, Viktor was able to move. He started slow and careful at first, allowing Yuuri to get used to the sensation. It grew faster, more desperate, though, and Yuuri threw his head back with a cry as he was repeatedly filled. It felt so good, so much better than anything Yuuri had ever experienced, and he needed it, legs tight around Viktor’s waist in an attempt to somehow pull him closer. Viktor kissed Yuuri again, one hand cradling his cheek as he continuously buried himself inside of Yuuri. Yuuri was in some sort of heaven, and his back arched as he was pushed over the edge again. Viktor thrust a few more times before letting out a long groan and stilling deep inside of Yuuri. Yuuri was in too much bliss to really notice as Viktor kept pressing kisses to his lips.

They both slowly came down. Viktor stopped kissing Yuuri and went very still, just staring at his face. Yuuri gazed back, looking into Viktor’s eyes. Nothing went through Yuuri’s head. He had no feelings of hatred as he stared at Viktor, just this once. He only saw a man whose expression softened as he looked at him. Viktor leaned down, nuzzling his face into the crook of Yuuri’s neck. “I love you,” he whispered. For this moment and this moment alone, Yuuri decided to accept that.

Viktor pulled out and collapsed beside Yuuri. Yuuri was then pulled to Viktor’s side until his head rested on the other man’s chest. Yuuri wordlessly stared up at the stars and listened to Viktor’s breathing. Viktor was quiet, too, for a while, but he eventually spoke up again. “No matter what your reasoning is,” he said, “please let me have this, just for tonight.”

Yuuri merely nodded. He decided to allow that, too.

Morning came, and Yuuri blinked awake to the blinding sunrise. He didn’t know when he’d fallen asleep, but he remembered where it was he had. Yuuri didn’t move, merely looking up at Viktor’s face in silence. The man was still asleep, breathing slow and rhythmic. Yuuri’s mind was blank. He couldn’t find a reason why he’d laid with Viktor the previous night. He didn’t have force or drunken stupor to blame it on. He had allowed it, encouraged it, even. Why? Yuuri didn’t know, but he didn’t really care. He was a dead man anyway. Yuuri laid his head back down and watched the sunrise.

Viktor woke up, and Yuuri was still there. He seemed surprised by that for a moment before wrapping his arms more firmly around the other man, nuzzling his face in Yuuri’s hair. The two stayed like that for a long time, and it was Yuuri that broke the silence as he watched a distant ship pass by. “You know, I never thought the prospect of death could feel so peaceful,” he said.

“Yeah,” Viktor replied. “I guess I always knew. When you live such a hellish existence, death seems more like a release than an end.”

“Yeah,” Yuuri said, eyes still on that ship. “That makes sense.”

Then Yuuri realized what he was looking at and jumped out of Viktor’s arms onto his feet.

“What?” Viktor said, startled by Yuuri’s movement.

“A ship!” Yuuri said, pointing. “There’s a ship!”

Viktor looked. His expression grew serious. “Yuuri, gather wood and leaves from the palms and _fast!_ ”

Yuuri obeyed, and he and Viktor quickly put together a large pile of dry plant matter. Viktor pulled out a match from his pocket and set the pile on fire. Yuuri blew on it, coaxing the flame to get bigger hurriedly, as the ship would be gone soon. He got the flame going, and to his relief, the fire was letting off a good amount of smoke. He began running then, waving his arms and shouting. Viktor joined him, and the two tried their hardest to flag down the ship before it disappeared. For a moment, Yuuri had a sinking feeling that they wouldn’t be seen, but then the ship changed course and started heading their direction. Yuuri had never felt such relief in his life.

Tears flooded Yuuri’s eyes. They were going to _live_.

Or so Yuuri thought. As the ship got closer, Yuuri realized just what kind of vessel it was. Flying the flag of the Royal British Navy, the ship was enormous and very well armed. A dinghy was lowered and sent toward the island, and Yuuri looked nervously at Viktor. The man was frowning as well. As the small boat got to shore, three men stepped out of it. All three wore wigs and proper coats, and one was adorned with medals, clearly distinguishing his rank. That was that man who smirked, eying Viktor and Yuuri.

“Pirates,” he said with an amused tone. “Left to die on a deserted island, are we?”

Yuuri blurt out, “Mutiny!” All four of the other men looked at him. “It was mutiny,” he said more quietly.

“Mutiny,” the Navy officer chuckled. “So one of you is a captain, too! No matter,” he grinned. “Your rank as a pirate doesn’t matter at the gallows.”

Yuuri realized with a twist in his gut what that meant. Rather than thirsting to death, they were to be hanged as… as _pirates!_ Yuuri shook his head rapidly. “We’re not pirates!” he half-lied. “W-We came from a fishing vessel. Viktor drove us through a storm, so the crew mutinied!”

The navy officers laughed. “Yes, I’m sure,” the commander said. “I must be a fisherman, too!”

“B-But—“ Yuuri stammered, tears welling up in his eyes. “Please! We’re not—“

“ _He’s_ not,” Viktor interjected. “I am.” Viktor suddenly stepped forward, pulling up his sleeve to reveal the branded ‘P’ on his forearm.

The navy officers looked confused, eyeing Viktor’s scar. “What do you mean _he’s_ not?” the commander questioned.

“Go ahead and check his arms. He had no brands or tattoos. He isn’t a pirate,” Viktor replied.

The lesser ranked navy officers did as suggested and check Yuuri’s clean arms. “He’s right!” one shouted.

The commander narrowed his eyes. “And just why would an innocent man be stranded with a pirate?” he asked lowly.

Viktor gave him a wicked grin. “I kidnapped him. Took him aboard my ship as a pet. When my crew decided to mutiny, they decided he could die with me.”

“And just what ship was this, exactly?”

Viktor’s grin only widened. “The _Stammi Vicino_.”

The navy men gasped. “The _Stammi Vicino?_ ” one of the lower men whispered. “Doesn’t that ship belong to—“

“Nikolai Nikiforov,” the commander growled.

Viktor smirked. “That was my father. My name is Viktor Nikiforov.”

Yuuri didn’t understand what was happening. Why was Viktor telling the men this? He was just going to get them executed! However, then the commander turned up his nose. “Take them aboard the ship,” he ordered. “Have Nikiforov thrown in the brig, and get his captive some new clothes. We will execute the notorious pirate upon our return to port.”

Yuuri was at a loss for a moment as he and Viktor were dragged aboard the dinghy and paddled back to the main ship. It was only when Viktor was finally pulled away from him and taken below deck aboard the navy vessel that it dawned on Yuuri. Viktor had told the truth. He had told the truth _so that Yuuri could live_.

Yuuri was in a state of shock as he was given clothes to change into as well as food and water. A medic checked him, but Yuuri was unable to say anything as he was put back together. Viktor was going to be hanged for his crimes. Yuuri would walk free.

Viktor had sacrificed himself for _him_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yep. Viktor did something good for once. Shocking, I know.
> 
> Also, I just want to point out that Yuuri was very dehydrated and buzzed during the sex in this chapter, so it was still dubcon. He hasn't accepted Viktor's love or anything like that.
> 
> But yeah! As I said, updates probs won't be daily now, but there shouldn't be tooo many more chapters. But I mean. I originally thought this would be less than 10, and here we are.
> 
> Let me know what you think as always, and thank you for reading! <3


	11. Salvation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri grapples with Viktor's impending demise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go, another chapter! We're really reaching the end now. I have a general picture of the last events, but some things are still undecided. Stay tuned.

Yuuri was at a loss.

No matter how many times he ran it through his head again and again, it didn’t make sense. Why had Viktor sacrificed himself for him? Hadn’t Viktor himself said he’d wanted to die with Yuuri? Why change his mind now? Viktor could have easily condemned Yuuri as a fellow pirate or even played along that neither of them were, albeit the latter plan would have failed upon the commander seeing Viktor’s brand. Either way, Viktor could have brought Yuuri with him, condemned Yuuri to the same fate. Why didn’t he? Yuuri was still in shock, and the navy men just assumed he was traumatized from being aboard a pirate ship. They made remarks about how horrifying the ordeal must have been and expressed their pity, but Yuuri didn’t care. He was too perplexed. Viktor had let him live. Viktor had _sacrificed himself_ so that Yuuri could live.

That was a debt Yuuri couldn’t hope to pay.

Yuuri was given a place to sleep in the crew’s quarters, but he chose to remain above deck as the sun set for the day and welcomed night. He waited, giving the captain and the crew a chance to fall asleep before sneaking downstairs past the crew’s quarters and further. He made his way all the way to the bottom of the ship quietly, and when he got there, he found Viktor asleep in the brig.

“Viktor,” Yuuri whispered. “Viktor!”

“No need to sound so frantic, darling,” Viktor replied, slowly opening his eyes. “You know I’m a light sleeper.”

Yuuri rushed to the cage, sinking to his knees and clinging to the bars. “Why?” he asked, unable to stop the tears from welling up in his eyes. “ _Why?_ ”

Viktor laughed bitterly. “Well, the way I saw it, there was no way I was making it out of this alive. There was no reason for you to suffer the same fate, though.”

Yuuri shook his head. “What about before? You said that you wanted to die with me. You gave me away during the mutiny. Why change your mind now?”

“I gave you away during the mutiny,” Viktor said, “because you were going to die either way. We were in the middle of the sea, Yuuri. Where would you have been able to escape to? At least if I gave you up, you wouldn’t have to die alone.”

Yuuri didn’t understand. “Why do you care if I die alone?” Yuuri whispered.

Viktor gave him a strange look. “I’ve already told you, haven’t I?”

 _Because I love you_ , Viktor’s words went unspoken.

The tears streamed down Yuuri’s face now. “But I _am_ going to die alone,” he found himself saying. “Maybe not now, but someday. I have nothing to go back to. I have nothing, nothing but—“ Yuuri cut off the words, shocked they’d even come out. He had nothing but…? But _Viktor?_ Viktor, the man he hated? Yuuri knew, though. He knew that wasn’t true. On that island, when death loomed over him so pronouncedly, Yuuri had accepted his fate was bound to Viktor’s. He had chosen to let go of that resentment because it was pointless in the face of death. What about now, though? Yuuri wasn’t facing death anymore. He was being taken ashore, and he’d never have to deal with pirates again. Yuuri had nothing, but maybe he could again. He could find Minako, beg for her forgiveness. He could complete his studies as a merchant and sail from port to port. He could make an honest living. If Yuuri just said goodbye to Viktor now, his nightmare could be over.

His heart wrenched. Deep down inside, Yuuri knew that wasn’t an option.

It was too late. Yuuri had grown… _attached_ to Viktor, somehow. He couldn’t explain it. On that deserted island, everything had changed. Maybe even before that. Somewhere along the line, Yuuri’s obsession with Viktor had grown into an inseparable dependency. He _needed_ Viktor. He didn’t know what to do without him. Viktor couldn’t die here.

Resolve filled Yuuri, and he had an idea. The navy didn’t know he had loyalty to Viktor. They thought Viktor was theirs for the taking, but Yuuri refused to allow that. Viktor was _his_ , whether to kill or to spare. He grabbed the bar of the cell, looking into Viktor’s eyes with a determination he hadn’t realized he could muster. “I’ll come back for you,” he said before returning upstairs.

It took days, but it wasn’t as long as Yuuri expected. The strip of land Yuuri and Viktor had been stranded on had been close enough to the mainland. In the time it took to sail there, Yuuri had snuck down to the brig at night, bringing Viktor food and water. He didn’t disclose his plan just yet, as he was still working out the details. It would be risky and fully dependent on opportunity. Yuuri watched closely, though, as they approached land in the evening. Yuuri was grateful for the cover of darkness. As the ship made port, Yuuri used the distraction to his advantage. While the crew was above deck, he snuck down to the brig, steeling his resolve. This was his choice. If he did this, he couldn’t go back. He’d be a criminal, sentenced to be hanged. Yuuri was certain, though. This was the right choice.

“Viktor,” Yuuri whispered, rushing to the cell. “Viktor, it’s time!”

“Time for what?” Viktor asked, quirking an eyebrow.

Yuuri pulled out his lock picking tools he’d gotten from Georgi. “I’m getting you out of here.”

As Yuuri got to work on the lock, a hand caught his. “No,” Viktor said, a serious look in his eyes. “You can’t. If you do this, they’ll hang you, too.”

“No they won’t,” Yuuri replied. “They can’t hang either of us if they don’t catch us.”

Viktor shook his head. “It’s not worth it! You have a life to get back to, Yuuri. Go! Go home and make something of yourself. Forget about me,” Viktor said, pleading.

This time, Yuuri shook his head. “There’s nothing for me to go back to,” Yuuri said. “Not without you. I don’t care if I’m on the run for the rest of my life. There’s no point anymore without you by my side.”

“Yuuri—“

“Don’t you get it, Viktor?” Yuuri whispered. “I… I—“ There was a creak above them, and Yuuri cut off that thought. He shook free of Viktor and quickly picked the lock. When the cell opened, Yuuri grabbed Viktor’s hand. “Come with me,” he said to the former captain. Viktor looked at him with an unreadable expression and slowly nodded.

The two snuck upstairs. The crew was thoroughly distracted, but Yuuri and Viktor still had to hide a few times as navy men passed them. They slowly made their way just below deck, though, and from there, they crouched behind some barrels. “Okay,” Viktor whispered, seeming like he was tagging along for the hell of it at this point. “Now what? The deck is crawling with navy soldiers.”

“Just wait,” Yuuri said. “Wait until the majority of them are off the ship unloading cargo. Then we take one of the dinghies and get out of here.”

“That’s awfully risky,” Viktor said. “What about the soldiers who remain on the ship?”

Yuuri thought. “There have to be swords somewhere,” he decided. “Stay here, and I’ll find them.”

Viktor stayed hidden, and Yuuri crept back to the crew’s quarters and began searching. Sure enough, with the crew unloading cargo, a few had left their weapons behind. Yuuri grabbed two holsters of swords and guns and ran back upstairs. On the way, though, he bumped into a navy officer, who spotted the weapons in his hand. “Hey,” said the man. “What are you—?”

Yuuri used the butt of a pistol to hit the other man in the head before breaking into a run. He found Viktor and passed him a sword and a pistol. “Make those shots count,” Yuuri said. “And use the sword. Hold my weapons here. I’m going above deck to see if the coast is clear enough yet. Stay poised; we escape soon.”

The look in Viktor’s eye was heavy, and he nodded. Yuuri walked back above deck inconspicuously, and the crew was still unloading cargo. As several men started to head below deck for more cargo, though, Yuuri remembered the man he’d left unconscious and stepped in their path. “Hello,” he said nonchalantly. The men looked at each other.

“Do you need something?” one asked.

Yuuri thought quickly. “Oh, I was just… wondering what kind of town this was! Is it a port town, or…?”

“It’s a British settlement,” the other man answered. “One of our claims in the Caribbean under the rule of the king himself. Now, step aside, we have work to do.” The men tried to push past Yuuri.

Yuuri stepped back into their path, though. “Do you come here often?’ he asked, stalling. “This settlement, I mean. Is it run by the navy?”

“Yes,” the man replied, seeming annoyed. “Now move.” Yuuri was shoved aside this time, and Yuuri cursed. He’d have to put his plan into action a little faster than he thought. He returned to Viktor.

“We have to go _now_ ,” Yuuri said, grabbing his weapons.

Viktor cocked an eyebrow. “But didn’t you say—?”

There was shouting from further below deck, and Yuuri grabbed Viktor’s hand. “ _Now!_ ” he ordered and dragged Viktor above deck.

The crew was still preoccupied, but they wouldn’t be for long. Yuuri made a beeline for the dinghy, hopping in and undoing the ropes to start lowering it. The two men charged above deck then, however, and the shouting began. The crew turned their attention to Viktor and Yuuri, and Yuuri shouted. “ _Viktor!_ ”

“Hurry, Yuuri!” Viktor shouted, unsheathing his sword. “I’ll hold them off!”

There was a clashing of swords, and Yuuri hurriedly lowered the boat. As it crept down the side of the ship, Viktor was backed against the railing, and Yuuri screamed again, “Viktor!” Viktor looked down and then cried out as a sword grazed his chest. Yuuri shouted, knowing that Viktor needed to get in the escape boat now or he’d never make it. Viktor knew that, too, and he climbed up on the railing, grabbed the rope, and slid his way down into the dinghy. To Yuuri’s shock then, though, Viktor took his sword and cut the ropes. Yuuri screamed as the dinghy fell the rest of the way into the water with a large splash. The navy men were shouting from the deck, though, and Yuuri knew they didn’t have much time, grabbing the oars. They began to row away, and Yuuri saw another dinghy lowering to come after them. It was too late, though. Yuuri and Viktor had a head start and rowed their way down the docks. After getting some distance, Viktor took the oars from Yuuri and began steering the boat. Yuuri didn’t know what he was doing until he paddled them to a dock where another ship was unloading. Of course! Viktor and Yuuri could lose the navy in the crowd! Yuuri and Viktor clambered onto the deck, ignoring the looks of confusion and shouts and just running. Viktor held Yuuri’s hand, dragging him along as they darted through the crowd. Navy men ran after them, but they were slow as a squad compared to two people light on their feet. Viktor led Yuuri into the town, taking alleyways and strange routes until the shouting faded into the distance. They hid in the alley behind a building and pressed themselves to the wall, panting as quietly as they could. There were footsteps echoing, but they didn’t get any closer and eventually faded altogether. Yuuri sighed heavily. They had lost them.

Yuuri turned to Viktor, who grimaced at his chest wound. It was bloody, but it didn’t seem too deep. Yuuri could only hope there was an inn somewhere that didn’t ask too many questions where they could clean up. The two began to sneak through the town, Viktor pulling his jacket to cover his wound. They kept a low profile and carefully avoided navy soldiers until they came across an inn. Looking at each other, they stepped inside. The inn was mostly empty to Yuuri’s relief, and the woman behind the counter seemed bored. However, she perked up as Viktor and Yuuri approached her.

“Oh!” the woman chirped. “Would you like a room?” Yuuri nodded, hoping to God that Viktor had money on him. “I’ll take payment upfront, and I’ll need a name,” the woman explained, rummaging for a quill.

“How about a little extra and we forget the name?” Viktor suggested, dropping a pouch of coins on the counter.

The woman eyed the coins and then Viktor and Yuuri. However, despite her suspicious glance, she took the payment. “Aye,” she said. “No name it is, then.” She handed the two of them a key, and Viktor and Yuuri went to their room, locking the door behind them.

“We don’t have much time,” Viktor said. “Maybe a night before the woman figures out we’re wanted and turns us in. What’s your plan, Yuuri?”

Yuuri shook his head. “I don’t know. I only planned as far as escaping the ship. I’m honestly surprised we’re even still alive.”

Viktor laughed. “Yes, it’s quite impressive indeed.”

The two looked at each other intensely for a moment before Yuuri broke the eye contact. “Ah, we really should figure out a plan, though,” he said. “Like you said, we don’t have much time.”

“Right,” Viktor said back, shaking his head. “So where do we go? We’re in a navy settlement crawling with soldiers. There aren’t exactly a lot of places to hide.”

“You’re right,” Yuuri agreed. “We need to escape, then, but how?”

Viktor thought before his eyes widened. He turned to Yuuri before saying suddenly, “A privateer!”

Yuuri was confused. “What?”

“A privateer!” Viktor repeated himself. “That’s how you found me in the first place, right? Well, such men aren’t bound to the king. They care about one thing only and that thing is money. I have plenty of that on me,” Viktor explained.

Yuuri understood. “So we hire a privateer,” he said.

“And we find the _Stammi Vicino!_ ”

“Yes, we find the—wait, _what?_ ”

Viktor shook his head. “Where else would we go, Yuuri? We can’t stay on land. We need a ship and a crew, so the _Stammi Vicino_ is our best bet.”

Yuuri shook his head. “That makes no sense! Why would the crew fall under your leadership again? They hate you!”

“They’ve always hated me, Yuuri,” Viktor pointed out. “But they’ve also always feared me, and that’s why they followed me. How do you think they’ll react when I put a few holes into my own ship and surprise them with my wellbeing?”

Yuuri’s eyes widened. “They’ll fear you.”

“Exactly. That’s all I need.”

Yuuri shook his head. “That’s risky, though. What if they just mutiny again?”

Viktor laughed before his eyes darkened. “You think I’ll give them a chance to mutiny again?”

Yuuri gulped. It had been a while since he’d seen that look in the man’s eye, and Yuuri shuddered. “I see,” he said, grateful that at least that malice wasn’t directed at him. “So we’re taking your ship back.”

“Aye. We’re taking my ship back.”

Yuuri tended to Viktor’s wound. As he’d thought, it wasn’t deep. The sword had merely grazed him, but Yuuri washed and bandaged it nonetheless. As he did so, though, Viktor stared at him strangely. Yuuri chose to ignore it until Viktor spoke up.

“Yuuri,” he said. “Back on the ship, you never got to finish telling me why you decided to save me.”

Yuuri kept his eyes averted. “Did I not?” he said innocently.

“ _Yuuri_ ,” Viktor chided. “I’m serious. You’ve condemned yourself for me. Why?”

Yuuri sighed and shook his head. “I don’t know. I just… couldn’t let you die. You’ve become too—“ _important to me_. Yuuri didn’t finish that sentence.

Viktor eyed him. “Too what, Yuuri?”

“Too entwined with me,” Yuuri decided to say instead. “You were right. Our fates are intertwined. So I couldn’t live while you died.”

Viktor seemed unsatisfied. “You’re not telling the whole truth, Yuuri,” he accused.

Yuuri looked at Viktor then, meeting his eyes. “What more do you want from me?” he said. “I’ve given you my life now. How much more could you want?”

Viktor’s hand reached to cup Yuuri’s cheek. “You know what I want, Yuuri,” he said, looking at Yuuri with an expression of longing. Yuuri turned away, face heating up. He did know.

“I don’t know if I can give you that,” Yuuri answered.

Viktor retracted his hand. “Then I will wait,” he said, “until you know.”

Yuuri decided he could accept that.

The next day, Yuuri and Viktor checked out of the inn. They kept a low profile again as they made their way to the docks. Yuuri had hired a privateer before, so he knew what kind of ship too look for. When he spotted such a vessel, the two made their way down that dock. The crew of the ship was loading it, preparing to set sail, and Yuuri looked for the most distinct man of the crew. He spotted him, supervising the loading of the ship, and he and Viktor approached the man.

“Hello,” greeted Yuuri. “Are you the captain of this vessel?”

The man eyed Yuuri and Viktor suspiciously. “I am,” he replied.

“We’re two men in the business of tracking down a ship,” said Yuuri. “We were wondering if you could assist us.”

The man sniffed. “You’re out of luck. I am already in business with someone else. Good day.”

Yuuri startled. “You’re under contract already?” The man didn’t reply, supervising his crew. Yuuri sighed. Maybe they should take their business elsewhere, he thought before Viktor pulled something from his coat.

“Here. Take us aboard your ship.”

The privateer made an odd expression before taking a bag from Viktor. His eyes widened at the contents. “This… This is so much money…!” he exclaimed.

Viktor smirked. “Is it not enough? I can pay more to outbid your other contract.”

The privateer eyed Viktor. “You would pay this much to set sail today?” His tone was disbelieving.

“Let’s just say we are in a hurry to get out of this town,” Viktor said shortly.

The privateer eyed the two of them again before huffing. He held a hand out to Viktor. “Aye, then. We have a deal.”

Viktor shook that hand with a charming grin. “Excellent.”

The ship set sail, and Yuuri sighed with relief as the British settlement faded into the distance. Another relief was that the privateer they sailed with seemed largely disinterested in them, not bothering to ask for their backstory. He simply requested a destination, and Viktor told him, “Tortuga.”

The privateer raised his eyebrow for a minute but didn’t ask any questions once Viktor placed another pouch of gold on the table. He took the money and nodded. “Tortuga it is.”

The voyage was rather uneventful. It would take days to reach their destination, and Yuuri and Viktor weren’t asked to perform any duties aboard the ship. That left Yuuri with far too much time to think, which was undoubtedly bad. He considered a lot of things about Viktor’s plan, which had thus far worked out wonderfully in their favor. However, Yuuri was nervous. So many things could go wrong. What if they couldn’t find the _Stammi Vicino_ before Viktor ran out of money? What if they did, but they lost the battle? What if they won, but the crew refused to serve under Viktor again? Any of these options could result in their untimely deaths, and Yuuri was afraid of that fate. He’d been brave for a moment when he’d saved Viktor, but that courage was wearing off, leaving behind the Yuuri who cowered at death. Yuuri was deeply petrified, and that’s how Viktor found him one evening as he watched the sun go down.

“You’re worrying too much,” Viktor said. “I can see it in your posture.”

Yuuri shook his head. “What if this doesn’t work?” Yuuri asked. “What if this plan utterly fails somehow?”

Viktor sighed. “Then we make a new one.” Yuuri looked at him, and Viktor continued. “Yuuri, nothing about this has been to the book. Since the moment we were stranded on that island, everything that has happened has been spontaneous acts of passion. From the things we did to the way we saved each other’s lives, we haven’t expected a thing.”

Yuuri frowned. “I supposed that’s true.”

“But no matter what happens,” Viktor said, “I will stay by your side, Yuuri. You saved my life when you could have been free from me at last. You chose to stay close to me, and I am indebted to you for that.” Viktor grabbed Yuuri’s hand, pressing it to his cheek. “Do with me what you will, Yuuri. I’m yours.”

Yuuri’s stomach flipped. “That’s a lot of responsibility,” Yuuri tried to joke.

Viktor’s eyes seemed to twinkle. “I think you can handle it.”

The two stared at each other again, and Yuuri felt something strange. This obsession turned attachment for Viktor was starting to affect him in unusual ways. Yuuri’s stomach was in knots, and his heart was tight with… something. Something toward Viktor. When had this happened? Yuuri was supposed to hate Viktor for everything, and yet… Yuuri couldn’t find that resentment within him anymore. Had his brush with death been enough to change Yuuri’s feelings altogether? Yuuri didn’t know. All he knew was that he wanted Viktor alive and by his side. Screw revenge, Yuuri thought. Viktor had been willing to sacrifice himself for Yuuri, and Yuuri couldn’t bring himself to hate a man who’d done that for him. Yuuri’s need for vengeance melted away at last. He had something more important now, even if he wasn’t sure exactly what it was.

Viktor and Yuuri watched the sun finish setting before looking up at the stars. Viktor started pointing to patterns in them, telling Yuuri about the constellations. Yuuri knew everything Viktor said from his time studying charts for navigation, but it was… nice hearing it from Viktor. Yuuri liked hearing his voice. At some point, Yuuri leaned over to rest his head on Viktor’s shoulder. Viktor didn’t complain and kept talking, telling Yuuri about Scorpio and Orion. The myth was an old one, but Yuuri found it soothing hearing it retold by Viktor. Yuuri looked up at Viktor, who gazed up at the stars with those beautiful blue eyes. Yuuri felt… something. He didn’t understand it and couldn’t put a name to it, but in this moment, he didn’t care. This moment was too precious to give up to worries.

Yuuri thought that, but when Viktor looked at Yuuri with that soft look in his eye, Yuuri melted. He realized that he felt warm, and then suddenly, something icy curled in his gut to contradict it. Viktor was so gentle, cradling Yuuri’s face and leaning in. Yuuri wanted to. He wanted to meet those lips, but with the way Viktor was looking at him, what would it mean if he did? Would Yuuri be accepting everything Viktor offered? Yuuri wasn’t sure he wanted to do that. How was he to tell if this was what he wanted? Uncertainty welled up within Yuuri, and at the last moment, he turned his head away from Viktor. The look in Viktor’s eyes was confused and a little bit hurt. Yuuri couldn’t look at him for long.

“I’m sorry,” Yuuri said, extracting himself from Viktor’s touch. “I… I just…” he shook his head. “I’m sorry!” With that apology, Yuuri fled below deck, leaving Viktor alone under the stars. Yuuri didn’t understand his feelings. He wanted to be close to Viktor, and yet here he was, fleeing from him. Why? Yuuri was scared, but he didn’t understand the root of his fear. He was unsure if he could accept Viktor, but why? Hadn’t he forgiven? Or was there still a part of him that hated Viktor for everything he’d done? Maybe that was it, but that didn’t feel right. Maybe Yuuri was just scared of the implications of accepting Viktor. What would that mean for them? Yuuri didn’t know, and that was terrifying. Whatever the case, he knew that he had to decide his fate: did it or did it not include Viktor? It was Yuuri’s choice.

Yuuri always hated choices.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was really fast-paced. There was a lot to cover, but I didn't feel that moment to moment details were important for a lot of this, so it just kind of got summarized. Not my favorite chapter, but I love developing Yuuri's feelings. They probably come off as a bit rushed, but I want to clarify something: Yuuri has been MANIPULATED. Viktor is behaving nice right now, but that's because he's getting what he wants from Yuuri. He's still the same man that did all of those things to Yuuri. Think of him as an abuser who manages to isolate his victim so well, he actually manages to convince him of his goodness. More on Viktor still being Viktor soon. 
> 
> As always, please let me know what you think as we reach the conclusion! Thank you for your continued support <3


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